Killswitch
by Rina K. Fenderson
Summary: With the Auphe back on the brothers' trail, Cal slowly recalling the extra memories he'd lost months before, and a new job at their doorstep the Leandros brothers have a heap of deja vu breathing down their necks. Yet, it is the break in the pattern that becomes the greatest burden and the tiniest thing that could change the Leandros brothers' lives forever.
1. Chapter 1 Cal

**The Usual Disclaimer: **Don't own any character with the exception of the new ones, no profit made except for the gain of writing something I love**.**

**The Author's Disclaimer: **This story takes place after its prequel, Crossfire, and Rob Thurman's novel, **Blackout**. Previously I was able to keep standing plots intact to segue into Rob Thurman's next Cal Leandors novel, but there are certain plot points in this novel that are not easily explained away. I still attempted to keep most of if intact for **Doubletake** to continue after this story, but it is not as seamless as Crossfire. I strongly suggest reading the prequel, Crossfire, before continuing.

I hope you enjoy**. **

**Killswitch**

**A Cal Leandros Fanfic****  
**

**Half human Cal and his brother, Niko, know from experience how well history can repeat itself and unsurprisingly it's never the good parts. With the Auphe back on the brothers' trail, Cal slowly recalling the extra memories he'd lost months before, and a new job at their doorstep they have a heap of de ja vu breathing down their necks. Yet, it is the break in the pattern that becomes the greatest burden and the tiniest thing that could change the Leandros brothers' lives forever, **

**CHAPTER ONE**

**CAL**

Less than a year ago I forgot I was a monster. Actually, I pretty much forgot everything, including who I was on a cellular level. From my name to my dinner preferences gone in one bite from a gigantic, fuzzy, black spider-demon.

I'd been stuck in a nowhere town that I'd brought myself to with no idea how or why. Without my big brother, who was the very definition of 'my keeper', and my fair-weather friend, who had been more stuck-like-glue than fair-weather as of late, I probably would have never made it back from Neverland. I was pretty sure Niko was still debating if that was a good thing. I still debated sometimes.

Because when I didn't remember who Caliban Leandros was I didn't remember that his life sucked ass. Death, dismemberment, and psychotic hell-spawn relatives those were what his life was made of. But Niko, whom looked out for me and took care of me even when I couldn't remember his name, was in trouble without Caliban Leandros and his head full of the utter opposite of sugar plum fairies. So I knew I had to give in and let the nightmares come.

Although I remembered I was a monster (or half of one at least) not long after I forgot, the rest of it didn't come so easily.

The brain could be a very peculiar thing. Very much like the token junk drawer. Whenever you dug around for something in particular it happened to be the last thing you found. And when you weren't looking for that weird pen or that wine bottle opener it just happened to pop out and remind you it was still there. Of course, why Niko and I had a wine bottle opener didn't make any sense to me. Neither of us drank wine.

I plucked it out of the junk drawer; because my mental analogy was a bit literal this time on top of being more existentially metaphoric than I was used to. Maybe it was Robin's. I turned it in my hand determining if it was expensive enough to be the puck's. Giving up, I tossed it back into the junk drawer and cringed when the clatter sent a sharp pang to my head. I realized it was another memory dropping unceremoniously into place a moment later. Like I said, one innocuous item just reminding me it was still there, resurfacing another snippet of my life I'd lost a few months ago.

I tried to play everyday off like I was fine and in one piece and for the most part I was, but every now and then it would hit me. Like the time I spilled my soda in the living room two months ago and abruptly remembered it being juice and all over a six year old me. My 'wonderful' mother had screamed at me for making a mess back then. Probably claiming I was a horrible little monster or something of the sort. And Niko had taken me out back when I started crying, turned cleaning me up into a game with the garden hose.

And sometimes I would wake up from a dream too detailed to be a dream. Something I hadn't remembered the night before. Like when I woke up one morning a few weeks ago recalling that time Delilah and I spent a wild fifteen minutes in the back office of the bar where she played bouncer. That one was in vivid Technicolor and surround sense. Made me wake up with a boner and regret breaking up with her for all of an hour. I'd already remembered what she'd done and tried to do. Attempting to murder one of the few friends I had with a gun aimed at his departing tail and threatening me and my brother as she climbed the werewolf ranks, to Alpha and beyond, could put a damper on any relationship.

This time a simple wine bottle opener brought back the memory of last Halloween. Strange, since when I lost my memory from the Nepenthe bite that was the picture Niko showed me to try and jog my brain along. I'd been frightened of the expression on my face then. Wondering who that violent looking monster was and if I wanted to become him again. My brother had needed me though, and I owed him. So I let the memories come. I honestly thought the dam had broken on the rooftop battle with Ammut, but I supposed if I didn't remember missing something, I didn't feel it missing.

But now I remembered that night. It had been warm for October in New York, the sweltering summer lingering a few months longer. Goodfellow came over to our new apartment with a bottle of wine more expensive than my entire wardrobe...eh, probably more expensive than all of my worldly possessions. He managed to find the bottle opener in one of the drawers, left behind by whoever rented the converted warehouse before us, and proceeded to pretty much polish off the bottle himself. Not that he needed any alcohol to streak naked through his lover's bar. That prompted a little shudder in me as I finally found what I was looking for in the drawer. Ah, tape how allusive you were.

I cast one last look at the bottle opener and shoved the drawer shut. I knew why I had such an awful look on my face in that picture now, because once one memory hit me the chain that continued thereafter was never very linear. It was a little like a raindrop hitting the windshield. One memory collected a related one, then another, until it zigzagged down the timeline, associating and connecting with thoughts and events I'd had through twenty-three years of life, finally settling into the web of my disused brain.

So the bottle opener connected me to the events of Halloween, had me remember Robin's 'baby Jesus' costume with horror, had me remember Nik showing me that picture when I couldn't remember my name, and had me remember how I felt that night and realize why I'd been so darkly pensive in the film. It had me remember her. Last Halloween I was missing a part of me, before I even lost my memories, which made me a very grumpy half monster. It surprised me for a moment that it took this long, but then I had obviously repressed this rain-line progression with good reason. Like the time I spent in Tumulus, which I thankfully still didn't recall.

I wondered if that was the real reason my own brother had been dosing me with Nepenthe venom. To keep the things that changed me blocked; to keep relatively content Caliban from remembering he had been both vicious crazy Caliban and happy and in love Caliban once upon a time. Before the moment I looked for the tape in the junk drawer, I didn't even know about the latter. I didn't think it possible.

Two months of my life were gone and I hadn't noticed, because I hadn't wanted to remember what it was like when the only being in the world I said 'I love you' to left me. Granted she left me because she had the peris, the Vigil, and the Auphe out for her neck. The local werewolf mafia wasn't too fond of her either, but I'd pleaded for her to stay with me. Niko and I dealt with death wishes and attempted murders all the time. If it was going to keep happening throughout my life I at least wanted to be happy with a beautiful woman that knew and understood every aspect of me by my side and, of course, I wanted her in my bed too.

With a sigh, I taped up the potato chip bag and tossed it with vigor back into the cabinet. I could feel Niko's eyes on my back, but wasn't willing to turn around and address him. Especially since he was practicing katas in his little work out studio across the apartment; interrupting him always seemed to end with me bruised and on my back. "It's nothing."

He continued to stare, ever the intuitive brother, and then I had to dodge a throwing knife that implanted into the cabinet by my ear. I clenched my jaw, turning to face him with the kitchen counter between us, along with the living room with its Goodwill couch and a few feet of his studio.

"I'm fine," I said levelly and with heavy implication that I didn't want to talk about it.

Niko and I had been through it all. A drunk abusive mother. The night that the Auphe incinerated her and our home when they came to take their little Aupheling experiment ' home'. The constant fight and race away from them when I escaped Tumulus –no, was rescued from Tumulus. Eight years of running from town to town the moment one of those pasty ass bastards showed up. On top if that we'd been through three possible ends of the world and averted all three ourselves, lost and gained friends, lost and gained enemies... Those things connected siblings more steadfastly than blood. And through all of that Niko always knew when something was just a little off in me. A little crankier than usual, a little more depressed, and a little better off.

My brother folded his arms over his chest, which he was subtly showing off with a tank; Promise must have been coming over later. His hair was pulled back in his ceremonial dark blond braid, but a little bit of fly away crowned his skull and reflected the afternoon light like a halo. Amusing. My brother, Zen master and violent tofu-activist, was not under any standards an angel. Hell, even the peris who were said to be descendants of angels were temperamental, sword-wielding assholes half the time. And I knew; one of those feathered tools was my boss and I actually kinda liked him.

"I think we should talk."

I grimaced and dropped my back to the kitchen counter. "Why?" I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to discuss my feelings about Castiella and her abrupt departure. I didn't want to talk about the new sensation in my gut that arrived with her memory and was created by her so I would feel her and know where she was at all times. Tumulus, probably, at the moment. Not that that location would surprised me. I didn't want to talk about the fact that I was in such a rut after she left that my own brother thought that erasing my memories of her was better for me. Well, I knew he was also keeping the death-avoiding horrors of our lives out of my head as well, but right now (now that I remembered her; now that I _felt_her) Cassie was the only thing on my mind.

Niko stepped out of the graceful stance he'd been holding during my internal monologue. "How much do you actually remember, Cal?" To Niko that wasn't a nickname, that _was_my name; our Shakespeare loving bitch of a mother be damned. Big brother would never believe I was a monster, never believe I could be, despite all my sins and indiscretions.

"The majority of it," I replied defensively. Niko raised his blond eyebrows; a stark and strange difference from his olive skin. My dear brother was Romani mixed with European _gadjo_while I was Romani mixed with the first evil known to Earth. I was born with shadows coursing through my blood and he had the Rom nose, poor bastard. And that the moment that nose was lifted to stare at me down the length of it. "I remember the parts that I need. And it's still coming back to me...slowly."

Niko sighed. He grabbed his work out towel from the living room couch as he proceeded toward me. He ended up leaning against the counter so it was between us, giving me a level look even as he gave me physical space. "You said you remembered everything."

"I said I was back," I countered. "Back to my usual half-Auphe, half human, all grumpy self. I never said I had all of my memories. You know, the little relapses might have something to do with my brother drugging me with spider venom in my toothpaste." Niko looked hurt, a little twitch between his eyebrows the only indication, when I wanted it to be evasive anger.

"Cal," he murmured.

"Don't start," I growled. I kicked the heel of my boot to the dishwasher behind me. "I said it so you'd get pissed off, not so you'd feel guilty. I know why you did it. I don't blame you. I probably was a treat to be around comparatively." Nik said my name again in that way that both warned me to stop my self-loathing or he'd kick my ass and pleaded for me to love him unconditionally. I certainly tried to show the second one, but the first...well, it was so easy to hate me. "Nik, I don't want to talk about this. That is my ultimate point."

"What did you remember?"

"This morning? When I was sneaking off to get a chili dog? Or just now?"

Nik frowned as he dabbed his neck free of the little sweat that accumulated from concentration. He didn't respond, but that usually meant all of the above. "So I woke up this morning with the memory of the first time I had a chili dog. You remember? I used that jar of coins you'd been collecting for us. I used our freakin' runaway fund to get a phallic slab of filler meat topped with ground beef and chili sauce on a bun. Which is why I snuck off and got that dog from the street vendor with the grizzly bear beard."

"For the record you did not _sneak_ off," Niko informed me. Obviously, I knew this. I could never sneak off on or up on Niko Leandros. He was assassin, ninja, warrior, and big brother all rolled in to one. By blood he wasn't anything super-human, by training and form he'd become more preternatural than myself. 'I snuck off' just sounded better than 'I blatantly ignored you and walked off to get a chili dog'. The chili dog incident had also brought back a montage of times I did things that would disappoint Niko; from the mundane to the travesty, it made the chili dog taste like ass and made Nik's scowl all the more potent when I returned to his side outside of the park.

"So what was just now?" Niko went on. Ignoring my confession that I knew the money I took for the first ever chili dog was rightfully his. He was like that though. He probably would have been happy I got to taste processed beef goodness, if he wasn't always trying to shove vegetables down my throat.

"Something in the junk drawer just triggered a memory about last Halloween, that's all."

Niko stared at me for a moment, studying my expression or the way I was standing, and like every other time he hit the nail on the head without any effort. "You remembered Castiella."

"What the fuck, Nik? How the hell do you do that?"

"I thought you decided to stop asking that." I threw up my hands at his now smug look and pushed off the cabinets. "Cal. You haven't said a word about her since your blackout. Even if it was a harsh memory I thought it odd. Cal—"

I ignored him, continued into the small partitioned hallway to my room. The building was pretty much a converted warehouse. The walls didn't even reach the rafters of the ceiling. Made it so Nik had to go over Promise's if they ever wanted some serious playtime. But Promise being a pristine vampire princess and Niko a reserved, straight-laced Buddha, they managed to sleep together without _sleeping_ together while here. It was weird.

I closed my bedroom door on Niko's approaching steps. He wouldn't enter, not without permission and not over something like this. He respected our space and my need for it right now. He would, however, probably tell Robin, who would then drag every bit of information out of me after lecturing me for forgetting his best friend of the ol' days.

Oh yes, I had been banging a creature several _thousand_years older than me and it had been amazing. I dropped back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to think of anything, but the way her back arched and her wings spread wide when she was on top of me. Of course, the only way a peri would sleep with me would be if she were just as royally fucked up as I was and considering her father was from the same first evil race as mine (not the same father she assured me) we kinda battled for the most fucked title.

Damn, did I miss her. "Hey, Nik. You still have that toothpaste?" He didn't answer, but I hadn't expected him to. And he left me in my room to my thoughts for a good twenty minutes before knocking lightly on my door. "Go away, I'm busy wallowing."

He didn't adhere. He cracked the door open and flashed what looked to be a photo. I propped myself up on my elbows and glared. "Job?"

"Not really." He seemed confused and a little nerve wracked, which made me sit up. I motioned for him to hand over what I could now see was a postcard. The front claimed: "Greetings from Chicago, Illinois", which seemed even stranger since we knew no one in the Prairie State. I would have assumed it was a wrong address if Niko hadn't brought it to me. I flipped it over and scanned the back, which just brought on more confusion. No addresses, return or otherwise, which meant this had been dropped off. And it smelled like a wet dog or just dog drool, I wasn't sure. But I was pretty sure who it was from and I wasn't just because they'd signed it.

_Dear Leandros brothers,_  
_Just wanted to say hello and also figured I should inform you that I'm back to my two-legged self. Amazing right? No idea how that happened. Raff thinks it might have had something to do with Suloyak's evil mojo, but I like to think it was just because I was accepted for just who I was. Awww. Anyway, we're traveling (running) with a new pack and would love to see you if you're still alive. _  
_We'll drop you a line if we're ever in the area._  
_XOXO, Catcher_

He even stamped a little paw print next to the signature, the cocky werewolf. I panned my gaze up to Niko, expression probably showing my mental pain. "Catcher's...Catcher again?" Last we saw the werewolf duo, Catcher had been stuck in wolf form due to his healer cousin remaking his DNA to save him. Rafferty had finally given up on changing his kin back in Yellowstone (as well as gave up on trying to keep Catcher in the intelligent, non-primal mindset) and decided to run with him as wolf as well until their lives ended.

Apparently, fate took them in a different direction. Niko took the postcard and re-read it as if it would give us more of an explanation. "It seems so..."

"Well, good for him. Now Rafferty can get a life and Catcher can start his again. And as a plus, there's no All Wolf anymore."

Niko pursed his lips and gave me a dubious look. I knew this changed nothing. Rafferty had the ability to create the All Wolf. That was what the Kin wanted more than a golden fire hydrant and grand superiority, which they already thought they had. Delilah, my ex-fuck buddy, knew what Rafferty could do and now that she had her own pack, nothing stopped her from trying to obtain him to climb to the top of the werewolf mafia ranks. Yeah, I picked a winner there. "Well, the Kin better get ready for a road trip; it looks like the Jeftichew boys are on the move...with company it seems." I let off a short laugh. "Hey, maybe they got some mates. Rafferty wouldn't be such a dick if he's getting laid."

Niko rolled his gray eyes, actually rolled them, and turned to walk out of my room. "Promise is coming over tonight. Are you working?"

I smirked; speaking of getting laid. "I'll make myself scarce."

"If you don't want her here—" I waved Niko off and gave him a scowl for good measure. Just because I was lamenting a love lost didn't mean he had to shun his. "Did you want to talk about it?" I gave him more than a scowl. Nik sighed and left me to my grouchy pity-party. I just flopped back down onto my bed. Only now I had a few happy thoughts for Catcher and his good news. He always said he made a better 'human' than he did a wolf. And those two did a lot for us when they didn't have to. Mainly saving my ass a few dire times.

My thoughts consumed me for all of thirty minutes, then sleep took over for a few hours; amazingly my brother let me nap. Once the sun had set, Promise came over for dinner and I greeted her with a kiss to her cheek on my way out the door. If Nik wanted to tell his vampire girlfriend that I remembered what heartbreak felt like I didn't want to be there for it. She was a compassionate woman, which meant her lavender eyes would go all soft and remorseful and she would watch me like her little brother who just got dumped. I didn't want to deal with that shit.

Nik let me go, once he saw I was adequately armed. New York wasn't the safest city to begin with even if you didn't know what went bump in the night, but then when you were half of a monster that most other monsters hated or feared you had to be even more prepared. I couldn't travel anymore, not without migraines and possible heart explosion. Rafferty had plugged up that avenue in my brain to save me from one day killing my brother when I went insane from the power of ripping holes in space. Now all I had was my trusty Glock tucked under my arm. Of course, I was a damned good shot with it, so it wasn't that bad a situation.

I had company the moment I walked out the front door of the building and groaned audibly so he knew how much I hadn't wanted to see him. Undeterred, the handsome puck fell into step beside me; I supposed he knew Promise was over else he would have traipsed up the stairs to torture me in my own home. "Going to work?"

"Going to screw my boss?" I answered. It was a concept I'd gotten used to. It had almost taken me as long as it did for Robin Goodfellow to warm up to the idea of monogamy. Peris were, apparently, not fond of the free-love nature of a puck. Not that Ishiah ever tried to tie Robin down (figuratively, not literally; I wanted no knowledge of the literal going-ons between my friend and my boss). Ishiah actually made it a point to say Robin shouldn't be with him since it was against a puck's nature. Of course, that just challenged Goodfellow and he pursued the relationship with more hard-headed vigor than he did a sale at Armani. Ah, well, Robin probably didn't even shop the sales racks anywhere, so maybe that was a bad analogy.

"Niko called me," Robin confessed. He had that strange sympathetic tone that he didn't break out often. I kept walking with my hands in my pockets. Mostly to keep from drawling my gun on him. "Said you were remembering things in clips. It's not uncommon for those that survive a Nepenthe bite to retain their memories like that. Even the ones they were attempting to erase in the first place sometimes would come back. Akhenaten tried to introduce the venom into the water in Amanra so his people would forget their previous gods and worship his. It didn't go well at all and hundreds died when they ingested too much, but those that did live eventually remembered their former gods and held vile disdain for the Pharaoh."

I didn't care, but the best way to keep the faun off the topic at hand was to keep him talking. And he liked to talk. I let him attempt to regale me with histories and stories that he no doubt did have some influence on –though perhaps not as much as he implied. It gave a nice distraction from my body's sudden need to travel to where ever Cassie might be and connect with her on a much deeper level. Damn, this was just as bad as when she first _claimed_me. Opening a gate between our bleeding palms and mixing the power-infused essence made it so every breath she took I felt inside my veins. It was fucking awesome when having sex, let me say, but alone without her it just left a hollow void in my stomach. Made breathing hurt.

"So is it mostly inane memories?" It took me a moment to realize that was a direct question and I just grunted an affirmative. If he wanted more Goodfellow would have to ask open ended questions and even then I probably wouldn't answer. Niko and my new (older) apartment was actually a little closer to the Ninth Circle –the only peri owned bar on the preternatural side of town. Actually, it might have been the only peri bar in Manhattan, but I doubted it. We were almost there by the time Robin stopped yammering long enough to ask the question, I was hoping it would have been as I was walking in the door, but luck avoided me like the plague.

Robin sighed and cuffed me across my head and into the closest building exterior. A half a block away from the bar and hardly a location I wished to stop. Creatures in this part of town hated me, mostly because from bodachs to vodyanoi I'd killed someone they knew. In my defense it was only because they were trying to kill me. "You are possibly the most obtuse child I have ever met."

"I disagree." I gave Robin my most vicious smile. "I understand what you're trying to do, I just chose to ignore you until you go away. It's much less messy than ripping your tongue out of your face."

Goodfellow scowled and let go of my jacket as if the generic brand burned his delicate designer skin. He ran a hand through his tawny curls and sighed again. He was one of those douchebags that knew he was attractive enough to be on any Harlequin romance cover and he liked to emphasize this fact endlessly. Tall, well-muscled body, overly well-hung (damn, that memory for coming back at all), bright emerald green eyes, well trimmed and cleaned up at all times. He always got more than a passing glance and he ate it up. It'd only gotten a little better since he started dating Ishiah exclusively. Now it wasn't so much sexual harassment upon Niko and me (mostly Niko) but lamentation for all those who would never experience the pucking of their lifetime.

"I'm trying to commiserate here. Cassie was my best friend for hundreds of years. You don't think I feel just as abandoned and alone without her? And you up and forgot her just a few months after she left so I really was alone in my grief."

"I apologize for the inconvenience of my near death by spider venom." It wasn't an exaggeration. If I hadn't been half Auphe I would have forgotten how to breathe and that bite would have killed me. As it was waking up without a single memory of who I was on a beach in Nevah's Landing with giant arachnid carcasses all around me wasn't a walk in the park.

"Cal—" I cut him off by shoving him out of the way and continued down the block toward the bar. I even snarled at a skittish werewolf that caught a whiff of me as I passed. The lower ranking ones always pissed themselves around me and at the moment I need a little lift of spirits. The furry faced puppy nearly fell over himself to get away from me, loping over to his pack. It wasn't one that I ever saw in the bar and they didn't seem keen on challenging a grouchy Auphe tonight. Goodfellow, on the other hand, pursued me into the building a few steps behind.

"Caliban," he tried again and reached for my arm. I twisted away and glared death upon him. "I just want to know one thing then I'll leave you alone." He seemed genuine, which was just as rare as sympathy so I gave him the chance to continue. "Can you feel her still? Is she all right?"

I clenched my jaw, not really thinking about my current bane from the other side. Robin had known Cassie the longest. Had been best friends with her. She'd pulled him out of danger and stupid decisions more times than years I'd been alive and he didn't even know if she still had a pulse. No wonder he'd given up hope when she'd disappeared a few hundred years ago and was deemed dead.

"I can feel her," I replied. "But that's all." I didn't know where she was, I just knew the sensation was distant and distorted, which led to the assumption that she was in Tumulus. A different plane of existence was pretty distant. I couldn't tell if she was hurt or doing just fine kicking Auphe ass, but I could tell she was breathing. That seemed to be enough for Robin.

He clapped me on the shoulder and went off toward the back room of the bar, probably to find Ishiah. I went about my business as well; serving drinks, scaring the shit out of new customers, and pissing off the regulars. Why Ish let me continue working for him was beyond me, but whatever, at least the night was pretty standard. And the bar was busy on the Saturday night, which let me forget about my riled emotions and internal thoughts. Funny, I'd been wishing for that when Cassie left and four months later I forgot everything. Gave new meaning to 'careful what you wish for'.


	2. Chapter 2 Cal

**Chapter Two**

**Cal**

There was a split second of indescribable fear then something snapped. I lunged forward with one thing on my mind. Kill. In the back of my head, somewhere, I knew I did it to protect my brother and to save the world (but more so myself) and to stop that last damned Auphe from crossing over. But in the forefront was blood lust. The feral need to end a life.

The thrill of driving the knives into the female's eye sockets intoxicated me. The smell of her blood as it oozed between my teeth when I tore out her throat. The knowledge that her pulse slowed and ceased because of me –my power, my will– it was ecstasy. It was who I was. Half Auphe, all monster.

I reveled in it, trembled with it, and it promptly frozen in my veins the moment I saw my brother's horrified expression. That's right, Nik, this was the creature you wished to protect. This was the devil you called brother.

"Cal!" His mouth parted to scream my name, but the sound came before the form of his lips and abruptly pulled me from the dream, memory, whatever.

I bolted up from the bed, nearly slamming my forehead into the arm Niko had across my body to shake my shoulders. He withdrew it in time to save me from a headache on top of my racing heart and shaking limbs covered in cold sweat. I panted staring wide-eyed at my brother as I collected my bearings.

My room, our apartment, partitioned white walls –one of which I'd eviscerated with my black matte knife and various others. The phrase _Screw You_ glared back at me in sharp gouges and Sharpie, like a violent connect the dots.

"Cal?" I nodded to Nik, assuring him I was there and that the same matte knife clutched in my hand wouldn't attempt to find its way into his skull. "What did you remember?" He asked quickly, restating his hands on my shoulders. I knew I looked a wreck, probably as wild-eyed as when I dropped out of Tumulus, deranged and slightly psychotic. I'd been down there for two years under the torture and manipulation of the Auphe. I didn't know what they did to me, didn't want to reclaim those memories, but for certain I came back a changed boy. Just the fact that I'd aged about two years when only two days on Earth passed was marvel enough. And then the small visit Niko and I had when we destroyed the last of the females (or what we thought were the last) with a suitcase nuke didn't help my neuroses. Three seconds there and I could feel the cold hand on my spine, clenching. Those hadn't been the only times either.

The look in Niko's gray eyes showed his fear in the possibility that those deeply repressed memories returned with the slow trickle. Ones that made me open unconscious gates that led to mini-comas when instigated to resurface. Robin had tried to hypnotize me once and I snapped out of it huddled and shaking in a corner with both my brother and Goodfellow sporting a few scratches from my nails. Bad, bad idea.

It wasn't those memories that made me clumsily roll out of bed, dash across the hall, and vomit in the bathroom. It was the chain links connecting with a snap to my senses. Memory of killing that female Auphe just after nuking the rest of them to hell, led to the reminder that the Auphe weren't dead. I saw them; Cassie traveled us there to get out of one shit situation right into another. I remembered the panic I felt when she pulled me into a hug and told me not to look. I looked. And I remembered that they were young and impetuous and ready to reclaim this world. I remembered that Cassie was fighting those vicious creatures that my super-assassin brother nearly died at the hands of. And all of it led to the dread in knowing one day they would come for me again. I was a little surprised I hadn't seen hide nor hair of them before now.

I flushed the toilet as the last memory in this non-chronological cycle (opening that gate inside a van moving at break-neck speeds to save my brother and first real crush from a sadistic cousin of Goodfellow's) made its needle sharp way through my brain. What was that I said about avoiding a headache? I groaned and leaned on the toilet lid, stomach still churning. This was pretty bad. Over the months of nostalgic clips it hadn't been this violent. I didn't know if it was because of the voracity of the memory that had started it or because I was sickened by the thrill of killing that Auphe, but the usual procession didn't leave such a pounding migraine.

"Cal," my brother's voice was soft at the door. He rapped twice on the threshold.

"Mm, all right," I grumbled. "Sane-Cal here to stay. Just a nightmareish memory like those that half my life consists of."

"More than half," Nik corrected. He slipped into the bathroom, but stood back near the sink. "What was it?"

"It doesn't matter," I spat into the toilet. That fried onion burger was probably not the best midnight snack. My guts gurgled in agreement. "It's in the past and it won't make me any crazier than I already am," I gave a shrug and stood from the tile floor, using the tank of the toilet to balance. "Can you grab me some aspirin?"

Niko didn't argue with me about relying too much on medications. If he knew just how many pain pills I'd been popping over the last few weeks he'd probably think differently. Of course the moment he pulled the plastic bottle from the medicine cabinet and felt the weight he knew. He gave me a stern look, then offered me the pills nonetheless. There was only one in his palm, but I was going to take what I could get. "How long have you been keeping these headaches from me?"

"They're not normally this bad," I confessed. He continued with the dubious stare. "Since the night we killed Ammut." Actually it was not long after I killed the brood of half Auphes in outskirts of Nevah's Landing. A present from the Auphe to me. Happy Birthday, little Caliban. I supposed they expected me to torture and play with the pitiful mis-creations. I just shot them each in the head. And, after watching the inferno I'd ignited take down the entire house, I'd started heading home in a jacked car. By that point I'd been so exhausted I was falling asleep at the wheel. A knock down drag out with an ancient serpent goddess could do that to me, especially when followed by a few gates that could kill me.

I pulled over, called Nik to tell him I'd be late, and passed out. That was the first time one of my memories felt like it just kneed me in the groin. It was the first time I vomited from it too and considering this was only the second time I was doing pretty good.

Niko watched me down the pill, waiting for me to gather myself a bit by splashing water on my face and washing out the terrible taste in my mouth with mouthwash and toothpaste combined. I spat the foamy remnants into the sink and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Are you staring at me because you're waiting for my head to spin around or did you have something to tell me?"

It was obviously early morning, since the windows up near the rafters were showing only cobalt blue. Niko tilted his head to one side, his braid, which was a little messy from sleep, flopped against his arm from over his shoulder. "We have a possible job."

Ah, that would explain the long pause. Even if it had been months since we had a job, the last one had been chaos when half the 'agency' lost his memories and ended up AWOL about eight hours from the other half. Niko had been walking on glass around me, considerate that all of my horrors and pleasures were now fresh in my mind, but he hadn't known they were causing me pain until now and this mental handicap created physical ones, which often led to me getting my ass kicked by one monster or another.

"I'm good," I assured him. "It hasn't been happening as often, their just a little more violent when they involve the Auphe. Honestly, I think I got most of them back." I ran a towel over my face and chucked it onto the sink counter when I finished. Niko leaned around me and plucked it up, replacing it on the rack I'd tugged it from. Sometimes I wondered how we hadn't killed each other living together for so long, mostly how he hadn't murdered me for never making my bed and leaving dirty clothes trailing through the various apartments. "What's the job?"

"Wendigo," Niko replied. I lifted my eyebrows; it was always new and interesting here at the Preternatural Private Detective Agency.

"In New York City?" From what I knew about Wendigos they preferred woodland areas and there was no way momma Boggle would allow a Wendigo to set up shop in Central Park. Niko's mouth twitched in appreciation at my question; I made him proud when I actually retained some facts and histories.

"The Wendigo is our client. She—"

"She?" I repeated. Right, so I knew the smoky-bodied cannibals liked the dark foliage-y areas, but I hadn't known there were both male and female Wendigo. Of course, I hadn't really known there were both female and male Auphe for the longest time either.

Niko's impressed smirk dropped in disappointment. "Yes, she. Wendigo aren't solely male. Very few races are single gendered." He leaned back against the threshold of the bathroom. "She and her family recently moved into a condo in Queens and they are having a bit of trouble with a local pack of werewolves."

"Kin?"

Niko nodded. "The Lupa pack."

My eyes rolled up and my head started pounding even more. Delilah's pack. Of course. No wonder Niko was hesitant on asking me about this job. He went on now, committed to telling me. "Delilah's pack is relatively new to the Kin, which means they have to cause quite a splash in order to be noticed and respected. Sokanon, the Wendigo, is not native to this type of area. She moved to be with her husband, who happens to be a Púca."

I gave him my patent 'I have no idea what you're talking about so if this is necessary information explain' look. Niko sighed. "Púca are a mischievous creature, similar to puck and fairy. They like to cause trouble, have the ability to shape-shift into a black horse or panther, but aren't particularly malevolent. Because of Sokanon and Nevan's odd relationship and the fact that they have a mixed-bred child they are prime targets for discrimination and harassment. The Lupa pack is trying to drive them off for show of territorial claim. When Sokanon refused, and killed and ate one of Delilah's pack mates, Delilah responded by taking her child."

I pressed my lips together. A kidnapping job; I fucking hated these. They never went well and always reminded me of the time George, my first true crush, and my own brother were kidnapped by Hobgoblin. Leave it to my brain to let that serendipitously be the last memory that had sucker punched me too, because that gate I'd opened in the back of the van had been the very portal I'd tossed Hob into. "So we have to get the mini Wendi-puca back. Or Wenca...Pudigo. Wait, no that just sounds like a bad Bill Cosby impression."

"That is correct," Niko commented, probably on my statement as much as my attempt to mash Wendigo and Púca together. "Which brings me to ask something you probably don't want to talk about."

"Delilah," I continued for him. "We'll have to get close to her to get in and get the kid. And since she still has some bazaar fascination with the bad-ass half Auphe it will be me getting close."

"I'm not sure if your sex appeal with be enough for her to let us close enough." I glared at him.

"What do you suggest then?"

He snorted through his long nose. "No, that's what I was suggesting; I'm just not sure it will work. I'm also hoping that you're not desperate enough to actually sleep with her again."

"Asshole." I shoved him out of my way back to my bedroom. "We'll talk about this tomorrow." I was still tired as hell, my stomach muscles hurt from heaving, and I wasn't about to deal with my brother mocking my questionable decisions so early in the morning.

Niko let me bail on the conversation and sleep for another four hours (thank you, big brother), before he swung open my bedroom door without even looking up from the newspaper in his hand.

"Cal, up."

I groaned and rolled out of bed as he retreated down the hall probably into the kitchen for his morning veggie shake. I didn't know what flavor of puke green it was this morning since by the time I made my way into the kitchen, dressed and ready for some Kin infiltration, he was washing out his glass. "What none for me?"

"I can make more," he challenged. I decided to sift through the refrigerator instead, settling on a slice of cold pizza and a coke. Niko took the soda away from me before I could snap the tab with a stern frown. He tucked it back into the fridge and poured me a glass of cranberry juice. I couldn't really complain because he wasn't smacking me upside the head for the pizza. "I have classes today, but I would appreciate you coming up with some sort of plan for when you talk to Delilah."

"Tonight?" I grunted through a mouthful of pepperoni and cheese.

"Tonight we're going to talk to the clients, but I would still appreciate you exercising your brain once in a while." I snorted in reply, but Niko took it in stride and walked off to get ready for his appointments at the local college. Pretty sure, constantly taking off from the TA position to save me from immediate peril got him fired, but his bright mind let him slip into the more freelance style of teaching: tutoring. Paid better too.

After raising me, because my mother certainly wouldn't be bothered with it and neither of us wanted my father within sixty miles of me, Niko had sacrificed a lot. Enough that for the longest time I wondered if he'd be better of without me. It took amnesia and a few near-death experiences for me to see that Niko Leandros would be just as lost without me as I would without him. Still, the guilt for consuming most of his life had me subtly encourage him to keep up his studies and general ambition for knowledge since he seemed to enjoy it so. Sometimes I wondered what kind of mental imbalance created _that _passion.

Niko left and I sat like a lump on the couch, cleaning my Desert Eagle and watching reruns of Kojak. He hated when I lazed about, but I knew he wouldn't bother me about it today. Every now and then I could get away with being the lazy ass I was so prone to being. Most of the time it was due to him almost losing me to death or worse. He _almost _spoiled me. So this whole remembering Castiella thing was something I was going to milk out of him until he got fed up with it. Maybe I could get a deep fried dinner.

By the time he came back, with take out from Panera, I'd passed out on the couch hours ago. Niko woke me up with a flick to my forehead and I, having been asleep and not entirely of calm mind after that morning, actually managed to catch his wrist before it retracted. My instinct had me try to flip him over the back of the couch and into the coffee table. Niko, ever the spry ninja, flipped over the couch, but landed steady and not only dragged me off the couch, but pinned me to the ground with my arm, which had previously been holding his, wrenched behind my back.

"Nnnah, mercy!" I cried out, still only half awake. I knew it was Niko, so the fear of murder was gone, but that didn't stop him from punching me in the kidney.

"Nice try," he said as he leaned over my back. I could actually _hear_ his smirk.

"Screw you, get off of me." Niko complied, patting my back in consolation for my fifty billionth loss. I gathered myself into a sitting position propped against the couch. Niko just stepped over me and toward the kitchen.

"Get your gear and eat; we're leaving in twenty minutes."

And, no lie, twenty minutes later he had me out the door and on the subway into Queens. All right, maybe it was closer to thirty and I was still waking up. I rubbed my eyes. Nik elbowed me when I yawned widely. "Please, attempt to show a little professionalism?"

I just slouched further down the seat, stretching my legs into the aisle. "If you wanted professionalism you should have brought Promise instead."

"Or a trained monkey," my brother grumbled under his breath. I didn't take offense; for the most part it was true. Although, to be fair, I would never pick at my own ass in public.

The rock of the subway cab settled me into a trance as it took us out of Manhattan. I'd been succumbing to a lot of those lately. Letting my mind just shut down, not entertaining one thought, not one thing, because if I let it wander it always skipped along to the same place. Merrily it would remind me that I could feel her inside me. Her heartbeat like a faint drum in my ear, against my fingertips. I wished I could smell her too. Oh, did she smell divine. Especially when she was—

"Cal, let's go." I jolted out of my reverie; actually glad Niko interrupted my derailing thoughts. We walked about ten blocks from the subway, before he came across our destination.

The Wencan family lived in a little row home, just like every one else with a six figure dual income in New York. It was nice enough, nicer than a lot of the dives Niko and I holed up in. Sokanon answered the door and I don't know what I expected, but a tall, willowy female with a wash of ebony hair and stark black eyes wasn't it. Some part of me expected a large, wolfish variation of an Auphe. Sharp limbs and talon tipped fingers. Maybe razor teeth and black replacing the white of the eyes...something like that.

She was pretty. I wouldn't have placed her in Maxim or anything, but her skin was smooth even if a little gray and her face was long but attractive with round eyes and a complimenting straight nose. I offered her my hand, glad to see hers were human and nails only black because of nail polish. "I assume you're Cal."

"I am," I replied. That was a good enough greeting as any.

She brushed her hair behind one ear that I noticed was pointed at the tip. She had a very Tolkien elvish look, but then the concept of elves in general wasn't entirely accurate. They weren't the handsome and beautiful woodland sprites holding long bows and sporting braids in their long flowing hair. Elf came from Auphe; creatures of venom and malice. They were long limbed, limpid pale, and horrifying. They had pointed ears and long flowing hair, but their ears were the color of curdled milk and their hair looked more like creepy flaxen filaments that often times lifted and moved without an air current like Medusa. And they had no need for a long bow when their black claws were sharp enough to cut through the thickest of blades and their greatest trick was the ability to tear through the fabric of space and toss you in the rabbit hole.

Sokanon stepped out of the threshold to let us enter, black eyes skimming over me with scrutiny. "And I assume you're here to assure me you will retrieve my daughter and kill the bastards that did this." It was said with absolute sarcasm and I replied with a snort.

"If that helps you sleep at night and stay out of our way, sure." Niko glared at me for that, but Sokanon snickered.

"Promise mentioned his enthralling wit on the phone, but I believe she sold him short," she cooed. I gave her a nod in respect for her good humor. Didn't run into many supernatural creatures that were good sports. She motioned with long fingers toward a room tucked away to the right of the front door. I could see a nice leather couch of a chocolate color and various shades of tan and cherry throughout the stylized sitting room. I had to appreciate the large screen television mounted on the north wall and the impressive sound system organized below.

"Nevan," Sokanon beckoned for her lover and I decided to inspect their dvd collection still tucked away in moving boxes as I waited. Not bad; someone liked things that went boom.

"Promise has already supplied me with much of the information you gave her," Niko started up, standing with the Wendigo in the threshold. "I mostly wanted to speak with you to confirm you wished us to pursue this as well as collect any more information you may have obtained."

Sokanon gave my brother a jaundiced look. "The Kin haven't slipped a newspaper lettered ransom note under the front door, if that's what you're looking for."

"How about a note tied to a beheaded kitten through the kitchen window?"

They both panned their gazes over to me; Niko's long-suffering and Sokanon's slightly amused. The Púca decided to appear at that moment and stared at me in horror from the other entrance that seemed to lead into a small dining nook. Either he could sense what I was with no more than a glance, or what I had said offended. His eyes were wide and they flickered to his lover in reservation. "Are you certain of these two?"

Sokanon laughed and waved her husband off as she approached me and effectively placed herself between us. Like the Wendigo, the Púca was surprisingly humanoid. He was a bit more average. A little shorter than me, not very broad, but hardly skinny. He had the same shade of hair as his lover, but his was short to his head and looked more like fur. He had a trimmed goatee and a tattoo that ran up the side of his neck in the shape of a vine choking a tree branch. Otherwise he was pretty nondescript, but that didn't lessen the threat considering Niko said his race could transform into a panther or horse. Or maybe it was a panther the size of a horse. And not to look a cash cow in the mouth, but why the hell were these guys doing this job themselves? They seemed capable enough not to hire a human and a half to do it for them.

"Nevan, this is Niko and Cal." The Púca nodded to both of us and seemed to relax a little once I'd shut my mouth. I let them be cordial and iron out all the details like proper business men (and woman). I never listened to these moments all too closely. Niko would fill me in on the necessary things later, or sometimes mid-battle. Talk of times and places, what she said what he said, they were all well and good for Niko to draw conclusions. I just needed straight facts or someone to just tell me where to shoot.

I waited by the window. Watching the people troll by the house through the drapes. They lived in a decent neighborhood, probably a good one to raise a kid in. And if she looked half as regular as her parents then she would do just fine. As long as she didn't lose her temper and rip out someone's liver for lunch period. I had to admit it pulled a few heartstrings in me. Thinking that poor kid, eight years old they said, was locked up in some Kin hellhole. Maybe terrified or just hugely pissed off, and, regardless, without her parents who obviously loved her more than mine could ever muster the energy for.

"Speak of the devil," I whispered as a shiver ran up my spine then back down to the pit of my stomach. Speak of the devil and he will come, damned fucking straight. I could feel it, keeping distance enough that I couldn't see it or smell it, but I could certainly feel it. I strained my eyes staring through the window, watching the rooftops and shadows for a dash of white among the violet of the sunset. I wasn't aware the conversation behind me ceased, until Niko stepped up beside me.

He didn't ask and I only replied with a brief flicker of my eyes to him. I'm sure my tense jaw and the dread in my eyes told him plenty. It wasn't Kin. Kin didn't invoke the fear that was no doubt swimming in my gray eyes. "How far?"

"Keeping good distance," I replied. Then I saw it. Crouched on the rooftop across from the Wenca residence two streets down. It was nothing but a hunched shadow, but I knew. I could feel its molten lava eyes fixed on me. It paced back and forth on the ledge a little, leaning down as if it were a jealous lover checking to see if I was really out with the boys only to catch a glimpse of the mistress popping open a wine bottle. This Auphe didn't seem to find the mistress of this scenario; it cast one lingering look upon me, then stepped back into a swirling gate and was gone.

I wet my lips and tugged the drapes closed. "I think we should go."

Niko nodded, then went back over to our hosts making a few closing statements and shaking hands before we exited the row home. I was tense all over, disliking that I had an Auphe dream that morning and then bam they were back in my life. And I'd been avoiding them so well lately. Or rather, they had no idea where to find me.

They were the young ones; pipsqueaks compared to the assholes we faced before. From what Castiella gathered upon our brief pop into Tumulus when escaping the Vigil –yeah, my life was just full of fun adventuress– she said they were a nest she failed to kill off. They grew up without parents and without guidance, if the Auphe guided their young at all. Regardless, they hadn't known who the hell I was, which meant they hadn't known what their ancestors had been planning for me. It also meant they didn't know where I lived. Apparently, they did now.

"This doesn't change anything," Niko tried to assure me on the subway back to the apartment. "We knew they would grow wise eventually and we knew they might appear again. That doesn't mean we can't overcome them."

"I wonder how many there are now," I muttered to myself more than Nik. He didn't answer, probably wanted to think about it as much as he wanted a nail through his temple. Or at least that was how I felt. We could overcome them...how many times? A collapsing warehouse, fighting gate with gate, a nuclear bomb. Hell, Cassie had been slaughtering them one by one by nest by nest for ages before I was even born and she hadn't succeeded in _overcoming_ them. It was a lost cause. For as hideous and murderous as they might be, they might bred like rabbits.

Well...that would kinda explain why Cassie and I couldn't resist screwing every time we locked eyes. Maybe it was a pheromone thing.

We weren't followed. I couldn't feel anything or one watching us except for the creepy guy that sold fake watches on the corner above the subway stop nearest to the apartment. He was human, actually, so I just ignored him. Nik studied me from the corner of his eyes, keeping aware of everything around us. An Auphe could pop out of thin air if the gate allowed it. Pounce right on top of my head if it was skilled enough. I didn't think these youngins were that far into their traveling training though. Even taking into consideration the Tumulus time jump, they only knew gating for...well, if one Tumulus year equaled one day here and it'd been eight months...

"What's eight times thirty?"

"Two hundred and forty," Niko answered without hesitation, other than to look at me oddly. Two hundred and forty years. Lovely. They might be out of basic training by this point.

My grouching died on my lips before I could explain the question and complain that they had an unfair advantage. I felt another gate. This one jolted my heart first, like a fist to the center of my chest only the fist was of a rather weak, half-hearted guy. Like Nik smacking me to get my attention or to chide me for some inappropriate comment. I still sucked in a breath from it.

I yanked Niko back before he unlocked the ground entrance and glared up at my bedroom window. I couldn't see anything given they were so fucking high up on the ceilings, but I knew it was there. I could imagine it sinking claws into the dry wall to hang there and stare down at us, gnashing its thousands of metal teeth.

"Fucker's in my room," I growled. Nik glanced around behind us, then unsheathed the wide forearm-length blade he kept between his shoulder blades and hidden under a gray duster. I frowned at my brother's determination to dive into battle without a thought. "We can always go out for dinner. Maybe it'll be gone when we get back."

Niko ignored me and unlocked the main door. He slunk into the converted warehouse, key letting off nothing more than a quiet click and feet soundless. I wasn't as stealthy, so I hung back as he patrolled the living room, and kitchen, and glanced around our little work out studio. Then down the hall we stalked. I could hear it skittering about in the room, scraping at the walls, darting across the floor. I could smell it. It smelled like blood and fear, but not the normal blood on the breath because it just murdered a litter of puppies and then the families that loved them and not the usual oozing feral danger to induce fear. No, this was shed blood still wet and the almost flowery fear-sweat...that was coming _from _the creature in my room.

I knocked my shoulder to Nik's arm, catching his eye before he kicked in my door. This wasn't an Auphe, I could sense it now. I couldn't catch more than the scent of their blood mixed with a sweeter smelling sanguine, but inside my gut I knew when we opened that door whatever was inside would scream in terror not maniacal excitement. Niko decided to turn the knob after my significant look. I still kept my Glock in hand, pointed to the ground for now, but ready to aim and fire in a spilt second.

The door swung open and the first thing I noticed in the dying sunlight was that blood trailed all over my room like a small midget decided to roll in a pool of red paint and prance around, throwing himself to the walls. Little hand prints slapped to the wall under the window, even standing on my bed they only reached a fraction of the way. Of course, the windows were placed nearly two stories up, so a creature would have to climb to get there. In the other corner in my open closet was a huddled, shivering ball.

Despite Niko's hand signals, I flicked on the light. The ball jerked in fear and curled over more. I could see bare feet, human feet. Blood covered pants and pale hands clutching trembling knees. Over the knees peered two round gray eyes surrounded by a shaggy mop of dark brown hair. It whimpered and blinked away the sharp sting the light caused, but didn't do anything else.

"What the f—"

"Cal," Niko cut me off, chiding for the language in front of the intruder. Yeah, so there wasn't a monster in my closet. Just a scared little baby boy. How the hell did that get there?


	3. Chapter 3 Cal

**Chapter Three**

**Cal**

We were nearing the end of the first hour of trying to coax the frightened kid out of my closet; how the stench of my dirty clothes didn't encourage him to roll out like he was on fire I didn't know. Instead he huddled into them, whimpering when Nik finally got a good hold on one skinny ankle to drag him out. The poor thing hissed and scratched like a cat being dragged to a bath, which was ultimately where we wanted to take him.

Niko tried to coo words of comfort to no avail, honestly he was doing a decent job and he probably had some practice from when I was a little kid. I just stood there with a sinking in my stomach and a tremor in my hand still holding my Glock. The kid was hardly intimidating, shivering like a Chihuahua on the floor, but I'd been surprised by the innocent looking before and I wasn't letting it happen again. "Nik..."

"Not now," he muttered to me and tried to reclaim his grip on the kid's ratty pants before he clamored back into the closet. After the boy swatted him and actually got the side of my brother's head with his tiny fist, Niko let go and leaned back on his legs. The boy dove for my laundry and practically buried himself under it. Just a little foot showed under the shuddering fabric.

Niko sat back on his ass with a defeated sigh. "You felt a gate?"

I did, but now I didn't know what to think. "Maybe it was the Auphe stork."

Niko took in a long-suffering breath and braced the back of his hand to his forehead. His palms and fingers were covered in blood. Of course so were my dirty clothes and some clean ones too. Good thing the majority of my wardrobe was black.

I pondered the catastrophic thought that he gated himself here for a moment. Was it possible for a child that looked no more than two years old to be able to rip open a void in space and walk through into my bedroom? Shit, I hoped not. But I had felt a gate, which meant either he traveled here or someone traveled him here and dropped him off for a play date. This concept made me both pause and feel sick to my stomach. "He's half." I knew it. Just like I knew there was something off with me even when I didn't remember my first name. Just like I knew how to run and shoot even without knowing the type of gun I was shooting. I knew he was like me. I knew he was half Auphe.

What the other half was another story. He looked human, so human it could be, but there were many other humanoid races out there and the Auphe were known for experimentation. Especially with the new young Auphe. They didn't know which lab tests worked and which didn't, or at least I doubted the Auphe kept histories or records in the vast gray of Tumulus. This kid could be anything and therefore he posed a bit of a threat. Only a bit of one. Auphe traits didn't really show up until later in life from my experience. Same with traveling. Even Cassie had said it takes a lot out of the young ones when they first gated. So if this kid had traveled here I wouldn't imagine he'd be conscious right now.

Niko stared at me in that way that was studying to see if I was being sarcastic. I wasn't and I told him so. "I'm not shitting you. He's half."

"Will you please stop cursing in front of the toddler," Niko grumbled. "And how do you know?"

I gave him an aggravated look. "My best guess? The tike doesn't have a big brother that would raise him to his best abilities like I did, so the bastar—er, mean, mean monsters drop him off here in capable hands so they can pick him up once he's ripe." Niko was continuing to stare at me in skepticism. "You already raised one half Auphe and kept him alive long enough for them to collect. You might have also stopped them and killed most of them, but considering the other babysitter options would either kill him or eat him..."

Niko's gray eyes flickered back toward the pile of clothing. Part of the kids head was peeking out, just one eye and part of his cheek, but he was watching us. He also wasn't trembling as badly as he'd been. Niko pushed back onto the toes of his feet, one hand braced to the carpet as he leaned toward the pile. He'd returned his sword back into the sheath between his shoulder blades almost as soon as he caught sight of the little boy, while his duster was draped over my bedpost. It left the weapon at easy access for a quick hand, but out of direct sight for the frightened infant. "Come on, kid. We're not going to hurt you. Just come on out and we'll get you cleaned up."

I listed a little closer, watching the shadowed eyes under my shirt from two days ago shift toward me. I noticed he hadn't uttered a word let alone a scream. I'd be screaming bloody murder if two weirdos with guns and swords were trying to wrench me out from under my bed. But he was quiet, save for a few soft whimpers. The blood was drying a little by now, enough that I could catch a whiff of his scent under my own week old stink that had taken up residence in my closet.

He didn't smell very unique, but not entirely human either. Fear, that sweet and tangy adrenaline sweat, dipped off of him in rivulets. And there was something else. Another savory scent, almost floral. I stepped closer, then grabbed Niko's hand when I noticed the same scent was coming from the blood on his hands. My heart nearly broke a rib when it started up full force and brought me to double over still holding onto his wrist and somehow remaining on my feet.

"Cal!"

Hawthorne. The blood smelled like Auphe and Hawthorne flower. Like Cassie. Like Cassie's blood. And suddenly I understood how the little kid got here. Cassie saved me from the hells of Tumulus. I never got a chance to ask her what had happened when we first met, but I knew she intended to kill my half Auphe ass and when she saw the humanity in my eyes she changed her mind. She opened a gate to get me out and whether I went through of my own accord or she shoved me through, I got home. I got back to Niko and just like she saved me she brought us another little lost lamb...covered in her blood.

"It's Cassie's blood," I bit out, trying to regulate my breathing. "She brought him here."

Niko stared at me for a long moment, mouth tight, the lines around his eyes thinning with strain. He could read my thoughts, or that's how it felt sometimes. He knew though. He knew without asking. Cassie found him in Tumulus, saw his humanity and gave him to us. To save him from them. And she gave her blood for it. I broke eye contact with my brother only when something struck my chest.

I went down like a ton of bricks. To my knees and then flat on my face. I groaned. Nik's hands were on my shoulders, squeezing, pulling me on my side. I vaguely heard his voice calling my name, saw the little kid crawl out of the laundry a ways peering at me, but the only thing that at the forefront of my conscious with sharp clarity was the burning agony that rocketed from my heart through every artery and vein in my body. I screamed and thrashed on the ground, grabbing onto Niko's arms and holding. Fuck did it hurt. It seriously felt like someone had injected my blood with kerosene then lit a match.

I could feel it. A fading heartbeat, slow, weak, then nothing. Like a last expelled breath. Gone. I fought the bile rising in the back of my throat, swallowing it down. When I was finally able to brace my hands to the carpet, I took in a few deep breaths with Nik watching me like a hawk circling its nest nervously. His gray eyes flickered to the little boy too, suspicious.

"Not him," I assured. I lifted one hand to clasp Nik's shoulder. "It's not him. It's Cassie."

"Cassie?" Niko echoed, then stopped before he asked the obvious. He knew what Castiella had done for me before she mercilessly left me, the connection she had made between us with a gate and our mixed blood. And now it was gone. That bond had been cut. Cassie was dead. And she had sent this child to us because she couldn't protect him anymore.

The infant had crawled out of the burrow of clothes, eyes on me with great curiosity and concern. He was so young; really couldn't have been more than a year or two. His limbs were still baby chubby as was his round little face. His eyes were big saucers, slate gray. I would assume his skin was as pallid as mine, but it was so smudged with blood that it looked ruddy like red clay. "He's just a baby."

"Barely two, probably closer to eighteen months," Niko agreed. We were both kneeling on the carpet. Nik with one foot tucked under him to bolt in any direction if need be. Now that we weren't coming at him the kid was scooting toward us. I extended one hand out, palm up like to a dog who needed to get your scent before it let you touch it. The little kit didn't seem insulted. On the contrary he mimicked my gesture and brushed pudgy sausage fingers to the calluses on my hands.

I was fighting tears I didn't want to admit were forming. No surprise since I nearly broke down when Cassie left me. I loved her, but I hated that she made me more vulnerable than a shaved puppy strapped belly up to a moving train. I hated that she made me feel like that warehouse from four years ago was still collapsing on me the moment I felt her heart stop beating. And I hated that it felt like I'd just gotten her back yesterday only to be murdered today.

"Hey, kid." I barely got the words through my tightened throat. I wrapped my fingers around his tiny hand. He didn't flinch, but stared unwavering into my eyes. "You're safe now," I wrinkled my nose at my lie and offered the tot a shrug. "For now."

"You want to try and get him in the bath, while I call Robin?"

"Robin?" I panned my gaze toward my brother, trying not to call attention to the kid getting onto his feet and toddling the rest of the way over to me. His free hand dropped to one of my knees, unbalanced. I almost smiled when his shaggy hair nearly covered his eyes completely. "If he sees this guy he's going to have a heart attack over just the hair."

Niko motioned to the kid's shaky legs and tilted his head. "Your diapers and crib didn't survive the trailer fire, so sufficed to say we'll need some more."

"Diapers," I repeated and dropped my head to one shoulder to see if the tike was wearing them. He was. I could see a white line of puffy elastic around the tear in the seat of his denim pants. Huh, didn't think you could get those in Tumulus.

"You might be right though, maybe I should call Promise." I was apt to agree, but let him figure it out. Not only did I not want Robin buying a gold-dipped crib, but I also didn't want to break the news that his best friend was dead quite yet. Promise had some experience with this raising a daughter of her own anyway. Of course that daughter became a crazy, over-ambitious, thief and kind of a murderer. Not sure if that had to do with nature or nurture but either or Promise couldn't do any more damage than me with this kid.

Niko stood up, still obviously in an internal debate with which of our 'many' friends to call about this crisis. He still managed to rise in a manner non-threatening enough that Scruffy didn't even let go of my hand. I waited until he left the room to turn my attention back to the kid. "Ready for that bath?"

He didn't reply, but just kept gazing at me with those round eyes. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to pick up a toddler with my gun still holstered under my arm –and I wasn't giving that up with a gate having opened in my bedroom– I admitted defeat and tugged him along on his own two feet. He did surprisingly well with it. Kind of stomped like a Clydesdale colt, but he made it to the bathroom across the hall a lot quicker than it would have taken me to pick him up.

He didn't fuss when I closed the door. He just surveyed the room then turned to me to wait on my next action. It kinda reminded me of a less subtle version of Niko's exit and escape assessment when he walked into a room. "Clear?" I asked him. I swore he nodded minutely. "Well, let's get this over with." I was pretty certain he would start screaming and thrashing the moment I turned on the water.

Again he surprised me. Just watch inquisitively, not a peep. I knelt in font of him, pausing with hesitation at this point. The next rational act was to strip him of the rags on his back and his diaper and dump him into the bath. I felt a little more comfortable just skipping the first step, but I could see Nik's disappointed expression in my head and, honestly, blood-encrusted clothes were not pleasant against the skin, sopping wet or bone dry.

"Okay, Skippy, arms up." I gave him a brief example and he followed the direction without flaw. It was then I notice the screened writing on his shirt. It used to be a white shirt, stained red brown from Cassie's and the Auphe's blood, but I could still make out the fluffy image of a solid black teddy bear and underneath _Caution: I bite._

I laughed, I couldn't help it. It was such a cute rendition of my usual less than subtle tee shirt slogans that I knew Cassie had dressed him. I wiped a tear from my eye, refusing to admit it was from something other than my laughing and peeled his shirt off. Same for his elastic-waist pants. I waited a moment for the diaper, preparing myself, then took in a deep breath and went for it. It wasn't as wet-poo horrifying as I feared it'd be. It was just a lot of pee. A _lot_ of pee. I dropped it in the trash can and fixed my gaze on the round face staring back at me.

Though I didn't remember anything about those two years I was stuck in Tumulus as their little half-human toy, I knew I'd pissed myself more than once. Really, who wouldn't? And I was freakin' fourteen. This poor baby was barely walking and not even toilet trained and he had to face those malicious bastards. Those malicious bastards that killed Cassie...possibly in front of him.

I frowned when I saw a little four lined slash along the roundness of his shoulder. Claws. They'd been so close to him, which meant they were after him. If they had only wanted to attack Cassie she would have kept them far away from the kid. Her blood on him and those slashes meant she was shielding him. Stopping the Auphe from getting to him. No surprise. He was their Caliban mac two. Or mac three if you counted Cassie as the first, even if she couldn't be possessed by Darkling like they had wanted. And he was so fucking tiny. Tiny hands, tiny arms, tiny little pot-belly, and tiny...everything. "It'll grow with you, I promise." I gave him a playful smile, but he didn't react. He didn't seem to care. Eh, well if it didn't develop by the time he got to pre-teens, then he'd have to worry.

I shook my head. If I hadn't had Niko, this would have been me. Hell, I probably wouldn't have even made it this far. I would have died from malnutrition or dehydration at one week considering the care mommy dearest was prone to giving me. If I didn't have Niko I would have been taken by the Auphe much sooner. I would have been turned into something much more awful than what I was at my darkest moments. If I hadn't met Cassie I would have never made it back to my brother. And if my brother hadn't been there when I got back I wouldn't have survived a month. I would have never been sane again. I would never have smiled, or laughed, or got pissed, or got in a good fight, or fell in love.

And without us this tiny tot would be in the same position. Alone and well on his way to monster-hood. He would suffer the same pains, tortures, and vagrant disregard that Cassie and I suffered. Worse than what we'd suffered, far worse. Cassie would never want that. She brought him to me because she was dying and couldn't protect him anymore. She brought him to me so he could survive like we did.

"Cal," Niko sighed as he entered the bathroom. He slipped by the two of us to the tub to dip his fingers in the water. "He's shaking, the water's scalding, what are you doing?"

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing," I argued. "You're Suzy Homemaker here."

Niko snorted as he turned the dial and sloshed the water around to cool that which I had apparently set to boiling. He held a hand out to Scruffy, but the toddler gaze at it with apprehension. I nudged his skinny side to urge him to Nik and, after looking to me for confirmation of character, he conceded. Niko lifted him into the bath and, again, there was no crying or fussing. Scruffy just sat placid in the water as Niko scrubbed a wash cloth lightly over his blood-speckled skin.

"Who'd you call?"

"Promise," Niko replied. He gave a small smile as he ruffled a hand over the tike's mop. "Get some good food for this little guy, some clean diapers and clothes." His voice dropped from its lightened cajoling to a deep half whisper to me. "It was Grendels, wasn't it?"

The fact that he used our old nickname for the Auphe, before we knew what they were really called, was a small consideration to the kid who probably knew their true name better than most should. I almost snickered at the throwback. Grendels. Nik had called them that from the moment I joined him in knowing that something was creeping outside the kitchen window with glowing red eyes. One read through Beowolf in sixth grade and Mr. Genius decided Grendel was a more apt name than dark elf or big bad monster. I tried to read it when I was in eighth grade, my last grade in official school really, and got about four pages into the epic poem before I woke up with my cheek pressed to the pages and drool sticking them together.

"Yeah, it was Grendels." I stooped down beside my brother who sat straddling the lip of the tub. One black jean leg rolled up to his knee so the water didn't soak it. I crouched with one arm folded to the lip and my chin to the crook. Scruffy was focused on me; those slate gray eyes unyielding. "He has the Leandros eyes." I joked.

"Cal—"

"I don't want to talk about it, Nik."

"We don't have much choice. I know you're hurting, but this situation," he paused and inhaled through his long nose. He wasn't looking at me, which unnerved. "It means that she lied to you."

Lied to me? Cassie never lied to me. I might have claimed as much, screamed it at her in my dreams, but she never actually did. She never denied who she was, never promised to stay with me always. On the contrary, she specifically told me that if I was ever hurt because of her she would be out of my life. She read me the warning label; I just pretended it didn't exist. "What are you talking about?"

Niko's thin lips pressed together in a firm line. He leaned over my head to grab the cup holding my toothbrush and toothpaste. He dumped the contents into the sink and brought the empty cup under the water to wash it over the kid's head. Scruffy tilted his head back obediently, obviously he'd done this before. I narrowed my eyes. That meant Cassie had gotten him out of Tumulus before now, which explained the clothes and diapers, but then how long had she had him?

Niko cleared his throat, then stopped everything he was doing and just stared down at the toddler in the tub. Eventually, his wise gray eyes flickered over to me. "I don't know how to say this without you thinking I'm crazy or having a fit." I glared at him. He knew better than to start a sentence like that. There was no kid-gloving it with us, you either said it like it was or you shut up. "Cal, I think he might be yours."

"My what?" I asked stupidly, then the implication sunk in. I pulled back from the lip of the tub, eyes fixed on the bundle of joy and nerves that had now started entertaining himself with the cup Niko had left floating in the water. "It's impossible, Nik. She wouldn't lie about that." Fuck no, please fuck no. I could not have a son. I couldn't. It wasn't possible. I was so fucking careful about that! I shook my head again. "No, she didn't have eggs. Robin even confirmed she went to a healer. Isn't it all females are born with however many eggs they'll have or some shit like that?"

I cast a desperate look at my brother. "Isn't it?"

"For peris, yes, I'm not sure about Auphe—"

I launched to my feet. The kid jolted and stared up at me with round gray eyes. Fuck me, he had Cassie's round face and little button nose. He had my gray eyes and sloppy, dark hair. He was half Auphe. Half her, half me. I didn't realize I'd been backing up until my spine hit the bathroom threshold. "Cal—"

I ignored Nik and twisted out the door. I couldn't handle this right now. It wasn't true. It was _impossible_. Cassie promised and Robin confirmed. They both wouldn't lie. This wasn't some conspiracy to pop out another monster hybrid. Goodfellow was a lot of things, but he would _never_ hurt me like this. He would never lie to me about something like this. Especially because Castiella had felt the same as me. No more Auphe, even half Auphe, was a better world. She was slaughtering them left and right, why would she purposefully bring one into the world?

"Aaaai!" I froze at the sound behind me. I'd only made it two steps into my bedroom. It came again. A desperate cry, a plea...for me. I closed my eyes, keeping my lips pressed together to stop myself from hyperventilating. As it was the air was rushing in and out of my nose in too-quick intervals. And another. I could hear little splashes and the squeak of flesh sliding across the bathtub bottom. Niko's voice was low and calm, trying to comfort the distraught child. "Daaa."

I spun back around despite my better judgment and stood in the doorway of the bathroom. Scruffy immediately sequestered, sagging in my brother's arms and sliding back into the water like a seal off a sunbathing rock. His wide slate eyes were still fixed on me and, of all things, he smiled in relief. And shit, he had my smile. Bowed lips that he probably got from Cassie, but my smile. A tiny, much cuter, much less sadistic version, but mine nonetheless.

"Nik, it isn't possible."

"It isn't," Niko murmured. He was splashed with a liberal amount of water now. Apparently the kid put up a damned good fight to get out of the tub and to me. I walked slowly back into the bathroom, gliding the toilet lid down and sitting with a thump. "Maybe I'm wrong, but regardless we need to keep calm for his sake. We know he's seen the Grendels and he may have been present when they...attacked Castiella. I'm sure he's more than a little frightened so let's not make it worse with rash or sudden actions."

He went back to washing the poor thing off. With more and more of his skin showing clean I could see he was just as pale as Cassie and I. Not that such was saying much. Other half Auphes I'd come across hadn't all been white as paper, but not every one had looked as human as us either. We were the lucky ones I guess. Marginally normal.

I watched Niko, then the kid. Back and forth. I needed a better name for him if he was going to be sticking around. Scruffy worked in my head, but damned if I was going to give my not-possible son a name reserved for a hydrant-pissing, ankle biting werewolf pup. The toddler kept an eye on me, even when he started playing with Niko. Ah, no, he wasn't playing. He was getting fed up with the bath. He swiped at Niko's placating hands and kicked water in his face, cute round face contorting into the scowl of a munchkin being denied overtime at the chocolate factory.

He still had suds in his hair, but Niko caught on to the temper tantrum about to burst through and motioned for a towel. I got his hair while Niko dried off the rest of his body; I was not ready for that step. I still felt vaguely like a creeper when him standing naked in front of me. Even without any shred of nefarious thoughts in my head, it still felt wrong and weird.

We clothed him in a makeshift diaper made of one of Niko's old tee shirts and one of mine to drape over him to just above his ankles. Niko wasn't pleased by the shirt, but honestly the message there, _I don't have A.D.D. you just bore me_, was among the tamer billboards I owned. And the little fucker was fast. Now that he felt comfortable enough to know we weren't a threat, he decided it was time to destroy as much of our property as possible.

First was the plate I'd left in my room after the first round of pizza the night before. I was riffling through my shirts to find a different one for him that was somewhat clean, not reeking of the bar, and didn't display one or more derogatory expletives. He was prancing around the room after Niko, who was trying to scrub off a little of the blood painted around my room. I didn't tell him to, but I think he was attempting to erase the thought of who the blood belonged too. If it was just her scent that engulfed the room I would have told him to stop, but the tang of blood kept making my stomach churn.

Evel Knievel found the plate under my bed, thank all things holy that was the item he chose since there were plenty of the sharp, shiny and pointy variety hiding under there that he could have gotten into. He jogged about with it in his hand, littering my floor with crumbs and bits of tomato, then dropped it. It didn't shatter since most of my floor, like my closet was carpeted by clothes. So he picked it up and dropped it with a little more force. I eyed him from over my shoulder. "Hey, Ace, careful with that." Ace, yeah, that was better than Scruffy. I could deal with Ace.

He looked at me in that feline way that said he knew exactly what he was doing, then lobbed it. He had decent aim; it hit the wall and finally gave way to about six pieces. Niko sighed as he turned from scrubbing the wall about a foot down from impact. "Here we go."

I don't know how he knew the hurricane was about to hit, but he knew. The toddler was out of my room in two seconds flat. A full grown half-Auphe who'd managed to out dodge a boggle and werewolves on more than one occasion and a human who'd spend the better part of his life honing every muscular and sensory part of his body to the point of being ninja stealthy and knife lethal were outrun by a two year old. I dashed out of the room on Niko's heels, just in time to watch the little guy climbing up the free standing punching bag.

"Shit," I hissed out and cringed as the thing toppled over it with our daredevil still clinging. I waited for the wail; the one that happened when a kid fell on their ass, weren't really hurt, but still wanted everyone within a five mile radius to know they fell. There was no scream, no low whine building to a wail, just a little tiny giggle. Niko leaned down to lift the little boy, but Ace slipped out of his grip and clamored over the punching bag to scampering across the converted warehouse into the kitchen. Bubbly laughter following him the entire way.

From there he managed to tear everything out of the lower cabinets in the kitchen, toss all the cushions off the couch, drag half my wardrobe through the apartment, and despite it all Nik and I were laughing by the time we'd caught him in the disarray of cushions in the middle of the living room. I dropped my head back on the floor, arms wrapped in a vice around Ace's wriggling body as he lied on my chest. Niko was leaned up against the empty couch, a hand to his forehead and the remnants of a laugh coming with his breath. I was near panting from the exertion of running after him. "Was I this bad?"

"And now you know the reason I never gave you sugar."

I smirked and ruffled the toddler's hair where it tickled my chin. "I can see why." Niko chuckled softly, then lifted himself up when there was a crisp, polite knock on our front door. Ace sprang up from my arms, crawling onto the cushion-less couch and stretching to peer over the back of it. His body language changed dramatically, ridged and still as he stared toward the door. I sat up and patted his back to comfort. I could smell Promise's perfume, a light lavender and honeysuckle, the moment Niko opened the door.

She had her driver with her, but he didn't even come into the apartment. Dropping off a few large paper bags over the threshold and bowing his head before disappearing around the door frame. Promise, clad in a hooded cloak the color of a winter's night, glided past the threshold. She dropped a kiss to Niko's lips that was somehow more intimate than the normal hello without the extra contact. "Now what is all of this for? Please reassure me that this isn't some convoluted way of telling me you're pregnant." She patted Niko's cheek and walked into the apartment, leaving the bags for him to pick up. She managed the implication without the usual haughtiness of an heiress. Hell, we'd asked her to make the trip to get all that shit.

I hoisted Captain Destructo onto my hip. I'd lost my gun and holster somewhere in the kitchen, so it was a lot easier to pick him up this time. Promise's eyes widened as she came farther into the apartment saw the state of it. Her lavender eyes fixed on me, then the little body in my arms. Her glossed lips parted. "Surprise!" I quipped with a half-feigned grin.

She did a slow half turn when Niko came up beside her. He offered her a twitch of a smile. "If I knew, I would explain."


	4. Chapter 4 Catcher

**Chapter Four**

**Catcher**

My name is Catcher. It was a mantra I used to have to tell myself just to get through the day. To remind me of who I was. Keep my mind in check and back from lupine land. Less than a year ago I was a wolf, not just a werewolf born and bred, but a true wolf. All forest-prancing, flea-biting, and carcass-rolling wolf. No shame there, I loved it. I was the happiest wolf out there. Probably. When I was younger I was a pretty happy-go-lucky as a werewolf.

I wasn't as young as I used to be, but at least I could go vertical again. Then again, that wasn't always a good thing. My name is Catcher and I was much faster on four legs than I was on two. I raced down the beach after the rest of the pack, several yards behind. Surprisingly, the off-season shore-goers didn't notice three full grown wolves dashing over the sands of Corolla. Just like the humans; shield thyne eye from the unthinkable.

I panted a little by the time I caught up to where they were circling, granted I had a bag of clothes over one shoulder, but they didn't seem to care for the inconvenience. Only one was nose to the ground; a rusty coat of auburn and sandy blonds like mine. My cousin by blood, brother by affection, and the only reason I was still alive today.

We grew up together, before my wayward ways took me to the rain forests in South America. Until a nasty mutation of cells gave me an incurable disease and I came slinking back home. Rafferty was possibly the greatest healer in the world. I'd certainly had yet to meet one better than him. I mean, he cured cancer! Granted it also changed my DNA and caused me to become all wolf all the time. No, idea what the Kin adored so much about that concept. Waking up and snarling at your beloved cousin's face because you don't recognize him let alone mouthwash wasn't a walk in the park.

Then one day I woke up with the legs of a human again. A little disturbing to the folks camping in Yellowstone at the time and a little hairy trying to slip out of the real wolf pack we'd been cavorting with without them attacking in fear. We didn't know why it happened. How it happened. I chalked it up to one of those mysteries of life; accepting one's self and all that. Rafferty was determined to find a scientific reason and prodded at me more often than I liked to indulge. Who knew? Maybe some of that dark mojo anti-healing he sucked out of Suloyak actually worked on me. I didn't like to think about that too hard. All that dark and evil coiling inside me. Bleh.

"Why are we running _toward _the creature that ripped through space?" I called as I trotted the rest of the distance. Sand was damned hard to run in without paws, but I wasn't willing to risk the beating I would receive from my cousin if I shifted just to spare the soles of my fleshy feet. He got a little paranoid about that; thought I'd get stuck again.

And I knew why Rafferty dashed out of the beach house when we saw the strange warped gray void twisting on the coastline. Or, at least, I had my assumptions. The Auphe created those crazy, unnatural wormholes, but the Auphe were dead and the only other being in the world (that we knew of) that could do that was Caliban Leandros. And that little ray of sunshine wouldn't open a gate for a good time. Not after Raff hardwired his head like a gate-bomb.

Melee had already shifted back to human by the time I caught up, slower now because I pulled the pack to my chest to unzip it and toss her some clothes. The off-seasoners would have glazed-over eyes for a pack of wolves, but a bunch of streakers would get the local cops down here in a second. We learned that lesson already. She tugged on the sundress and motioned to the dark shape Rafferty was cautiously approaching.

"No Auphe. Discarded toy," she said. Her voice thick with a growl. It was unavoidable. The few words that she could get out in a human tongue were always that way. She was, like many, a werewolf bred for failed perfection. I thought her perfectly fine. As a wolf she was a gorgeous gray with a cute rounded snout and as a human she was (by their standards) a bit too tall, much too lanky, and her feet were permanently stretched to the toes. Nothing a 9 narrow heel couldn't hide. I nodded and brushed by her to toss a pair of board shorts at Lovett. Poor schmuck had the worst looks out of all of us; kinda mangy, on shortened legs with a mousy brown colored coat, unless he was human then he looked like a ripped surfer from Baywatch.

I smelled blood; even with the wind at my back I smelled blood. The sun was setting, leaving the beach a darkened blue and the Atlantic nearly sable, but I could see the deepening color of the water when the foam touched the body Rafferty was now dragging to shore. Blood and Auphe; man, that was a bitter scent. Ruined my appetite for the fajitas Mia was making back at the house. Then it hit me and my stomach plummeted.

Blood, Auphe, and a gate. Again, only Cal could be involved in all three. Oh shit. "Raff?"

He shook his russet head and snorted out some blood that had soaked his muzzle. It was enough of a negative reaction that I felt my body loosen. I approached, squinting in the light to make out the curves of a female. She smelled better than Cal; some sort of flora in her blood. Dark blond or brown hair, human form, pale skin from what I could tell around the blood and gore. And there was a lot of blood and gore.

"She's dead." It was more a statement than a question. I crouched beside the now-human version of my cousin and handed him another pair of board shorts without removing my eyes from the girl. Us werewolves, we had urges sometimes, but one of them was not scavenging. It took all the fun out of the hunt, picking off what was left behind. We took out a deer or two on these shores, but seeing this poor creature torn to shreds did nothing for my already uneasy stomach.

"Actually, she isn't," Rafferty corrected me. "But it's a close thing." He plucked a piece of seaweed from her shoulder, then scowled when it revealed yet another deep laceration. She had dozens of them. The most notable shaving through part of her thigh muscle near her femoral, the four rents that left no imagination on where her small intestines were, and another three razor cuts that led from her right cheek to her left breast, just missing the carotid.

I glanced at my cousin asking him without words what we should do. Lovett and Melee stood over us in waiting. Not that Rafferty was our Alpha (well, he wouldn't admit it), but this was his hunt we all bolted into and he got to choose the outcome. We weren't a typical pack considering every single one of us was either hated by, hunted by, or exiled from the Kin. The werewolf rat pack. I loved it and I knew Rafferty was quite fond of our motley crew even if he never showed it.

"I've never seen anything like her."

I gave him a dubious look, then sniffed at the body again. The tasty scent of blood was tarnish by that oily Auphe smell, made tolerable only by the woody floral undertones. And there was something else the tang of canary? "She's half Auphe, half peri," Rafferty explained, seeing the confusion on my face, which only transitioned to shock. Now that was an odd concoction.

"Younger or older?"

"Older, much older." He put emphasis there, which meant her age exceeded even ours when I was only asking if she was older than Caliban. That meant she was the first hybrid, which could make her either more deadly or crazier...or both. I looked toward Rafferty again, waiting for either his hand to touch her chest to put her out of her misery or for him to heal her enough that she didn't bleed out on the beach before we got her inside. That gouge on her leg was still pumping out blood, which meant it wasn't near her femoral but right on top of it. Probably just a nick, but that was certainly enough.

"You're call," I urged when he still didn't move. His mouth pressed into a firm line and I smirked. He didn't want to save her because that would show he wasn't the nasty prat that he pretended to be. He was born a healer, better than any other and he hated it. He hated that he had the urge to take down a deer as readily as he did to heal its fawn. Plus it would be a risk to the young ones in the house if she was insane. Not that he couldn't kill her with a flick of an internal switch, it was just that such was a little difficult if the aggressor could open a gate in your heart. Which we had to assume, since she opened a gate here.

Ultimately, my cousin placed his hand on her sternum and took away her last breath. I blinked in surprise, but didn't say a word. Not until he motioned for me to pick her up. "Uh, I think if we just leave her here the humans will assume shark or..." I tilted my head to assess her wounds. "Rabid raccoon?"

"Or they'll start noticing the wolves on the beach," Lovett pointed out behind me.

"Take her to the house."

"Raff, what are we going to do with her there? Funeral pyre?" He glared at me for the off-colored comment, then lifted her up himself. Her round face lolled back over his bicep, arms swinging like a broken doll. I stepped back and kicked at the bag's strap to snatched it up and follow after.

"I'm not about to carry someone this wounded and this dangerous into my house alive." I smirked again, not only relieved that he hadn't intended to keep her dead, but also that he called it _his _house. "She'd probably wake up even if I put her to sleep," he went on. "You saw what happened when I fished around in Cal's brain." The little brat tried to strangle my cousin; the Auphe half taking hold and running on self preservation alone.

"Smells odd," Melee murmured as she trailed beside Rafferty, always beside Rafferty. She was too young for either of us, but the fact that he treated her like he did me when we were kids was warming. Best thing in the world, me waking up with human legs. It let my cousin live his life again. Because in the house was Mia and her ice blue eyes followed Raff just like Melee's, only with adoration _and _lust. He was even good with her two pups, deny it as he might.

It wasn't the usual smiles and greetings when we slipped through the bottom level door though. The twins stayed down there with bunk beds and an air hockey table to keep them company, so two pairs of wide spring green eyes stared at us. Curiosity and noses piqued. "No," I told them, not caring it was an insulting command. The finger wag was fucking universal and I was reclaiming it. "You guys stay put."

The boys ducked back under the fort of mattress and spare sheets, whispering to each other. They were probably trying to find a way up without getting into trouble and they would indeed find one, but I wasn't concerned about that.

We followed the scent of onion, sizzling meat and cheese up the stairs, but veered off before we got to the top floor where Mia was cooking. Melee broke off to inform the mama what happened, while Lovett and I threw down a couple of towels onto the unused mattress in my room. We were renting it after all (or Lovett was). I wondered if Rafferty put her in this room on purpose for my snickering at his compassionate decision. Rafferty's was next door with a spare room between him and Melee at the end. Lovett was crashing in the master suite upstairs and Mia slept downstairs with her pups on the first level. Perfect for a happy pack of seven.

Raff laid the girl out on the bed and shook his head solemnly. I knew what he was thinking. Same fear running through my head. "It was Auphe, wasn't it?"

Rafferty sat down on my bed and pressed his knuckles to his lips. He didn't have to nod, didn't have to say a word. It was Auphe. Which meant Caliban and Niko were wrong. They weren't all dead. That also meant they'd probably go after the brothers too someday. And obviously when they meant business, even a quick gate wouldn't save you. I sighed through my nose, carefree night gone to waste. "What do you need?"

"Water bucket, towels. There's more blood than physically possible, which means it isn't all hers," he said slowly. Considering some of it looked more black than brownish red, I had to concur. I was also assuming the black splatters were from the Auphe she'd been facing and to that I had to give her silent bravo.

Rafferty's palm hovered over her leg to force it to clot, then glided up and her chest heaved with a breath. I could hear her heartbeat eagerly patter before it steadied to a normal rhythm. She didn't wake though; Rafferty was keeping her in a deep sleep. I liked to watch him work, but ridding the house of the bitter scent of Auphe blood was more pressing.

Lovett helped me get together a bucket and several hand towels, as well as the first aid kit in Melee's bathroom. Might as well patch up the less than fatal wounds so Rafferty didn't have to heal them. Both peris and Auphe were quick to heal. If my cuz could get her stable enough to let her body do the work it would be less taxing on him.

Mia came down halfway through the process. Her sharp eyes flickering over the now bare and less bloody body of the girl, then resting pointedly on Rafferty. His back was facing her, but I knew he could feel her boring gaze. With a sigh he pushed some unruly ginger locks out of his face to address her with a scowl. Yeah, both of us looked like unkempt Irishmen and we tanned just as well. I preferred the ski slopes honestly, but my stint in the Amazon was pretty fun too.

"Dinner?" she offered as if he was insulting her for not rushing up the moment the meat hit the pan. I didn't know what expression he showed her, if any, but when he turned back around I caught Mia smirking triumphantly as she scooted out of the room. She called the boys and Hunter and Chase scampered up the stairs, pointedly taking their time in front of our door to rubberneck their way into seeing what 'Uncle' Rafferty had brought home.

Lovett shooed them out, then tossed me the last clean towel. "I'm going up. Holler if she codes." I smiled at his joke, but quickly looked back at Rafferty. Lovett and I had cleaned her up to disinfect the shallower wounds –and by shallower I mean an inch or less in depth. I turned my attention on finishing the last wrapping at her ankle. By this point my cousin was breaking a little bit of a sweat.

"Stop," I told him, knocking my knuckles to his hand pressed to her forehead. "She's stable enough. You're going to strain something."

"I'm fine," Rafferty growled, flashing that angry glare at me. I wasn't intimidated.

"And if she's a psycho-loony when she wakes up and you're low on juice?"

He paused at that and wiped both hands to his board shorts. "What the hell does this mean?" he sighed. I gnawed at the inside of my bottom lip and flicked a piece of the girl's hair out of her face. She was cute for a humanoid. Round face, full lips, what looked to be big eyes and a pretty rockin' body. The scars would heal in time, but they'd always be there. I wasn't letting my cousin waste his energy on cosmetic shit like that.

"It means our little brothers aren't out of the woods yet," I muttered.

Rafferty groaned and stood from my bed, walking around to leave the room. "Like we need this right now." I watched him go and just sat on the edge of the desk chair for another moment. I tilted my head as I looked over the halfbreed. Maybe we did need this right now. A half peri half Auphe could kick some serious Kin ass.

Ah right, I so tried to forget. Happy little misfit wolf pack in hiding from a massive mafia of our brethren that wanted Rafferty's servitude. My name is Catcher and they weren't taking either of us alive.

I was surprised Rafferty left the girl in my room that night. Surprised only because he usually liked to keep his patients near him or, if they were as lethal as we could assume this creature was, in complete isolation.

Currently, I watched her as she slept from the corner of my eye while I read on my own bed. My belly was full with Mia's delicious breakfast, still marveling that I wasn't killed in the middle of the night by the cute little thing. I knew Rafferty had encouraged her body to shut down in slumber for twenty four hours at least, but I also knew Auphe had a tendency to exceed expectations as easily as they thrashed them to pieces.

Rafferty and I hadn't had too many experiences with the vicious race, but we knew Caliban. I still recalled with horrific clarity, our dear friend trying to choke my cousin to death after he _asked_Raff to clip his gating wings. Instincts could be violent things. And no being appreciated someone mucking around in their brain, cutting wires and dampening senses.

She didn't wake last night, at least not that I noticed the few times I dragged myself out of sleep to make sure I still had a pulse. She barely moved save for a few muscle twitches or a tilt of the head. But I watched her all the same, fearing the scream or sudden attack that might occur when she opened her eyes to a very unfamiliar sight and a wolf in the next bed over. I hoped she didn't have a grudge against our breed; that would certainly put a glitch in this situation.

Rafferty came in around noon. A brief peek into the room to glance over his patient and then give me a steady look. Not a word spoken, but none needed when there was nothing to say. He went back to his room and I went back to my book. It was still refreshing to be able to hold the pages open with opposable thumbs instead of dingy paws. Just like being able to communicate outside of a tail wag or a pencil to a laptop keyboard. It really made you appreciate the little things, like the feel of the page sliding over my fingertip.

Yeah, the little things. Like seeing my cousin leave the house without fear of what will happen to me while he was gone. Like looking into his eyes and finally seeing some of the guilt fade away. He beat himself up for what happened to me, when he was only guilty of saving his blood. It was good to finally see him enjoy the life he refused to live without me all those years. It was also good to see his libido hadn't completely died out; he thought he could hide those shared wanton looks between Mia and him.

There was a shudder and a sudden jolt from the body on the bed next to me. Before I could raise my chin from the horrible mystery book that I found on the shelf filled with out-of-date VHS tapes and beaten up board games, she was braced into a sitting position by way of one arm behind her and the other lifted for defense if necessary. Her eyes fell on me almost instantly, an interesting shade of ruddy red, like cherry wood or mahogany.

"Hi," I said jauntily. I gave her a smile too, hoping if my tone didn't show my amiability the fact that I hadn't moved from my lounging position on the bed would. She didn't bare her teeth or flex her fingers to claws or anything remotely threatening. She just stared at me with full lips parted and dark blond eyebrows pulled tightly together. "My name is Catcher." I almost laughed aloud when the former mantra came out of my mouth unconsciously. Instead, I kept on the innocuous smile and folded the paperback closed in my lap. "Before you panic. You're safe. You're in a beach house in North Carolina. And yes, we're all wolves, but we mean you no harm."

Her eyes flickered away from me to lay unfocused on the foot of the bed as she processed this. Then she tossed the sheets from her body. I thought she might be attempting to get out of the bed and rose from my own to stop her, but she merely looked down at her body, assessing the damage the Auphe left behind, post-healing. Her free hand flitted over her wrapped thigh that had been slashed to the point she almost bled out, to her stitched together stomach that had been torn enough that her intestines were exposed, and then to her cheek where there were still pink puffed up lines from deadly black claws that had just missed her artery.

Her hand fell to her lap and she sat up so she could bring both hands together. She did so without much of a cringe, though I knew she was in pain. Rafferty may have been a bleeding heart to save her, but he wasn't about to sacrifice his energy for a half Auphe that we didn't even know was stable, especially with the Kin sniffing at our paw prints. "You want me to get you something? Water? Vicodin?"

Didn't actually have the latter, but it was more of an ice breaker anyway. Her dark eyes flickered back over to me. "I need to pee."

I laughed aloud, glad to see she had a sense of humor or at least the same blunt way as my cousin. I motioned to the cracked open door at the back of the room. It joined this room and Rafferty's, but I doubted she would mind. "I can imagine. You've been unconscious for almost twenty hours." I edged closer as she started to scoot off the bed. "You want some help?"

"I think I got it." She said as much, but the moment she put weight on her damaged leg, she went down to the wood floor. Several of her wounds, including the less devastating of them, had cut into muscle and that took a bit longer to heal than a few hours. I hastened over, kneeing beside her to lift her into a sitting position.

"Thanks," she murmured. I got her up on her feet and helped her into the bathroom. I left her to it then, figuring she could handle it and doubted she wanted me around while she relieved herself.

I could hear the rush of water from a bladder long over-strained and waited for the flush, before I asked, "So I'm Catcher. What's your name?"

"Cassie," she replied. She opened the door and leaned against the threshold as she dried off her hands. She'd wrapped a towel around herself, making me realize she had been naked when she woke. Usually that would unnerve most (us werewolves didn't care much about it since we were naked when we shifted) but she hadn't panicked at all. She still looked unbelievably flushed due to healing from the near-death experience. Her pale skin shined with a patina of sweat from a fever and her mahogany eyes were hooded in fatigue. Her eyebrows, a shade or two dark her than her matted hair, were twisted, but it didn't seem to be in pain. "Did I die?"

I smirked at her candor. "For a little while."

This hit her a little hard. I saw her face pale and her cute round jaw tightened in disquiet. Not that I blamed her. Finding out that you were conceivably dead for several minutes probably wouldn't sit well in my stomach either and I had a stomach of steel. Rafferty always looked at me with horror at some of the meals I put together, marveling at how I could keep the concoctions down regardless of spices or mixed flavor. I figured it all went to the same place anyway.

"Where am I?" I let her take careful steps back toward the bed, easing down on the mattress like every muscle in her body was aching. I handed her one of Melee's sheath dresses and she gingerly slipped it on. Her own clothes were so torn and frayed from the battle that they hadn't covered her modesty much. Blood caked on almost every inch of the fabric so we trashed them. We'd washed her off as best we could with a wet rag and a bucket of water. Her skin looked clean enough, but I knew remnants were sticky on her flesh and probably felt pretty uncomfortable.

"North Carolina," I told her again. I wasn't going to fault her for not getting that the first time. "You sure you don't want some water?"

"Cheese-steak…and a root beer."

Oh, I adored this girl already. I smiled and tilted my head in consideration. "I think I can scrounge up a Hot-pocket and a coke." Cassie gave me a weary smile and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I think." She lifted her head, eyebrows knitted again. "Was I alone?"

"When we found you on the beach? Yeah, no Auphe in sight," I assured her. "Guess they thought the job was done."

"So did I," she said softly. I watched her rub her hands up and down her arms. Lucky she didn't have much body hair so the blood didn't catch or matte there. Must have been an Auphe thing, because despite his dark mop of hair, Caliban didn't have much body hair either. I couldn't go a day without shaving unless I wanted a nice scruffy beard popping up along my jaw. "It's not just you here."

It wasn't a question but a statement and considering Cal's nose was pretty stellar even if not as hypersensitive as a werewolf's I could assume she could smell the other werewolves here. "There are seven of us. Five adults and two pups." I didn't really count Melee as an adult personally, but she was too well into her years to be considered a pup anymore.

"You're a pack?"

"Of misfits and exiled degenerates," I offered. She smiled at that, a small thing and fleeting, but it was warm. Being half Auphe I knew she'd understand the sense of being abandoned by her kin, ridiculed and cast aside, hunted and threatened. Caliban never got how well we understood him, but with her age I had no doubt Cassie would. "Let me get you that water. I need to get my cousin too, he should check you over."

"I'm fine," Cassie tried to assure. I ignored her; I need to get Rafferty anyway and I could smell the lunch beginning upstairs. Considering it was Lovett's turn to cook that meant lunch meats and whole grains coming out of their plastic wrappers.

"I'll be right back." I pointed accusingly at her. "Don't you run off anywhere."

I jogged up the stairs to the kitchen. The din was loud enough that I knew everyone was out of bed and ready to cause trouble. Most of that statement was for Hunter and Chase, since they'd slept in that morning, which normally led to something breaking by two in the afternoon due to their energy levels being so high. At the moment they were running around the kitchen table like a Nascar race, while the adults dutifully pretended to ignore them. As I suspected, fresh ham and turkey were laid out with condiments on the table –retrieved from a special butcher who left it a bit under cooked for us. Wolves might like to hunt and feast on the kill, but sometime honey smoked ham just hit the spot.

Lovett grunted and motioned to his wide display with pride. I gave him a mock thumbs-up since this had been the same spread as the week before. Granted he did change up the meat choices. Rafferty had either decided he was sick of sandwiches or ate before Lovett got it together because his place mat was bare and he was leaned back in his chair watching the boys circle around him. He glanced up when I approached the table, raising his brow.

"She's up," I informed him, snatching up a slice of ham and popping it in my mouth. "Sane, cracking jokes, and doing okay." Raff still got up from the table and wordlessly headed downstairs. I decided to get together some food and water for her before I did the same.

"So she's not a homicidal maniac?" Lovett inquired from around the crunch of a potato chip. I grabbed a root beer, when I saw Lovett had gotten a case, on top of the sandwich piled high with turkey, ham and cheese and a bottle of water. Although females did tend to be a little more reserved about their appetites, I had to assume Cassie could pack it in with the best of any of us werewolves, since Caliban sure could.

"Not that I can tell," I offered. I stacked everything on a plate and tucked the two drinks under my arm. "She seemed pretty fun actually. I'll send her up if Raff says it's okay." He saluted me in response.

Downstairs, my bedroom was empty, but the sliding door leading to the second level balcony was open and the drapes were billowing in the slight breeze. I put down the plate of food and the can of root beer on the small nightstand next to her bed, keeping the water with me since that was what she really needed. Rafferty was with her outside, both standing at the wood railing overlooking the pool and, farther out, the sand and surf. I could see dolphins loping around in the water just past a few novice surfers lollygagging about near the shore.

"Thank you." Those were the first clear words I heard and they were from Cassie to my cousin. Her expression shone the gratitude even more genuinely than the words. He'd been talking as I made my way outside, but I'd only made out that he was giving her the laundry list of injuries she had, maybe at her request.

"Hey," I interrupted and handed her the water. "Drink this. You're probably dehydrated and that won't help the healing process." She accepted the bottle with a warm smile and turned back to the railing.

"I've never known wolves to live on the beach. Seems like the hunting would be slim, unless you prefer the carnal taste of a human…" she said it with caution and a hint of disdain.

"Nah, they're too gamey." I gave her a reassuring smile. "There are a lot of deer in this area and, surprise, surprise, a butcher that has a really good cut of sirloin. Besides this is temporary. Just one stop on our great escape."

"Escape from what?"

"The Kin." Rafferty gave me a sharp look for revealing our weakness to a complete stranger. I didn't think it mattered, honestly. Cassie seemed to have greater problems of her own and there was no way she could use ours to benefit. The Auphe cared about the Kin about as much as a Coyote cares about a human. Leave the Coyote alone and it will just snarl and go about its business, try and get in its way of prey and you were a dead man.

Cassie let off a little grunt, one corner of her mouth quirking into a smirk. "Yeah, they're not too fond of me either." The smile fell and her red-brown eyes hooded as they gaze out to the ocean. "But maybe I should go then. You certainly don't need the Auphe popping in if you have wolves on your tail. Hell, you don't need Auphe popping in even if your life is smooth sailing." She sighed, shook her head, and pushed back from the railing. "I should go."

"I'm not going to chain you here," Rafferty cut in, even as he stepped in front of her when she started for the stairs behind him. "But considering I spent the energy to save you, I'd prefer you wait to run off on suicide missions _after_you've healed completely."

A guilt play. I was stunned. Rafferty rarely played on guilt, plus it would seem ridiculous that such would work on a half Auphe. It did though, which I could only attribute to her being part peri as well. They were the supernatural equivalent of a Catholic; guilt ran in their blood. "Conditionally, I'll stay. But if I scent or sense one Auphe within a hundred yards of here…I'm not putting your lives at risk for bed rest." Rafferty lifted his ruddy eyebrows and gave her a nod of agreement. "In the meantime, as thanks, is there anything I can do to help you with the Kin?"

Rafferty glanced over at me briefly before he replied, "If they come, kill them."

Cassie gave a stout nod, without question. She didn't ask anymore and we didn't say.


	5. Chapter 5 Cal

**Chapter Five**

**Cal**

I'd never been a patient person, but honestly I could have sat there waiting for Goodfellow to respond all day. Mostly because his expression was fucking hilarious. The great and magnificent Pan, the self-proclaimed master of eroticism, king of the five finger discount, and emperor of the ever running mouth, sat speechless, shocked, and left in a stupor. Elbows to his knees, fingers intertwined at his mouth, and deep green eyes fixed on the little tot in front of him.

Ace was sitting between the television and the reassembled couch; we moved the coffee table when we were toddler-proofing the rest of the apartment, which was a whole ordeal all its own. I gave the kid the only 'toy' I owned that wasn't pointy and lethal. A deck of cards. He seemed to be having more fun turning them into confetti than actually playing any semblance of a game.

"This isn't possible," Goodfellow finally said. It was far cry from anything I expected. I thought he would come out swinging with a joke. Mocking me or Niko about adopting or picking up a stray. Or how if we were that lonely he would have dropped off a few of the hairless mummy cats that I dumped in his apartment a few months back. I was pretty sure he was down to three now. The puck could sell shit to a sewage worker and make a damned killing off it.

Robin lifted his chin from his hands and flopped back on the couch. I didn't see him slouch often and he didn't stay that way for very long, sitting forward again to peer at little Ace. "It's not possible."

We hadn't really told him much of anything when we asked him to come over the morning after our bundle of joy appeared. Promise stayed overnight to help and _eventually _Ace warmed up to her enough that he didn't growl at her whenever she came near. Niko and I proved to both suck at constructing furniture that didn't consist of chipboard and an Allen-wrench (holy hell, my brother actually sucked at something other than stand-up comedy), but eventually we got the crib together and stationed it in my room. Scruffy would not have it any other way. He kept whimpering like a lost puppy when we set him up in the living room. Standing in the crib, with his little fingers gripping the railing that came up just under his chin.

But we didn't tell Robin any of this, didn't even tell him we had a visitor. I didn't want him drawing conclusions from our stretched theories. I wanted him to see the kid and tell us what he was. If he was, as Niko hypothesized, related to me by more than a distant Auphe relative. I wasn't sure if Robin could dig that deep, but he certainly knew what I was at just a second glance. So to hear him speak in such a floored tone, shocked by this tiny creature as much as we had been, it made me shift with nerves and a little dread.

"Where's Cassie?" he asked all too soon. I also hadn't told him that. Hadn't really planned to tell him either. I dropped my eyes to Ace, clenching my jaw.

"What does that matter?"

He didn't reply, but his eyes sliding to their corners were glare enough.

"Not here," I evaded. Robin's gaze ripped from the kid to me, dark and searching. I met that bore into your soul look, hoping he could read me as well as my brother could. He could. Or at least I had to assume that was why his complexion paled and his green eyes shimmered. Good, because I didn't want to say it again.

"So it finally happened." The words sounded like they were grinding up from his throat. He licked his lips, steepled his hands and pressed them to his mouth. He looked back toward Ace, but I didn't think he was really focused on him. Scruffy was tossing the ripped up cards into the air, giggling as it fluttered down upon him. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, knowing he could see it out of the corner of his eyes. "Then you felt it." He said it with conviction. He wasn't asking. He knew I wouldn't lie to him. Not about the death of his best friend, whom he'd thought dead several times before. He'd asked me just yesterday if I felt her still. And I said yes, I had, just yesterday. "Was it Auphe?"

Ace froze at that word, gray eyes wider than saucers. He darted his head around the room, making sure everything was in place. Making sure there weren't any pasty clawed monsters crouched in the corner or fogging up the glass of the overhead windows. I stretched over my legs to ruffle his dark hair, distracting him from his fears. "Grendels."

Robin lifted his eyebrows, not sure if it was for the nickname we had for the Auphe or my somewhat affectionate gesture toward the kid. "It's what we called them before we knew what they had a name. He doesn't seem to like their true name. Not that I blame him. Sense a shiver up my spine sometimes too."

"You know already, don't you?"

Promise and Niko had been their usual quiet selves in the kitchen, standing near the island that separated it from the living area. Both paused in their soft conversation to watch us. They were also getting lunch together, but I was pretty sure they were talking about me and/or the scruffy little boy shredding the Queen of Spades more than they were working with the food. I ignored them and flicked a piece of playing card at little Ace. It landed on his foot and he kicked it with a grin. "Tell me what I already know, Goodfellow."

"That which is impossible, Caliban. By the unfathomable depths of my knowledge I don't understand how this could happen, but this child is half Au— Grendel and, well, you can smell him, can't you? I'm sure you can scent the difference in him."

I nodded again. I couldn't smell the Auphe, but then again I could never smell it on Cassie either. She just smelled damned good, all the time. I was in love with her woody natural perfume. Ace smelled a little more flowery sweet, but it was dampened. Like how a wildflower grove smells when you pass by it going seventy miles an hour with the windows down. Robin tilted his chin up to take in a long inhale. I didn't know if pucks had a heightened sense of smell, but he had enough expensive cologne that he could at least pin point the flower scent like he did Cassie. "Foxglove, if I'm right. And I'm always right. Fitting, considering the plant is poisonous. It's a peri scent...he has peri in his extensive bloodline as you might have gathered. I wouldn't be surprised if in a year's time he begins to form wings. It will be painful, when they first appear they actually part the skin, breaking through. It's a gory mess, but then, poof, they have the power to will them visible or tuck them away from the naked eye within a few days." Robin trailed off from his tangent; the first time I'd ever known him to do so without 'encouragement' from one of us. His hand touched my shoulder. His tone went sober. "I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think he's your son, Cal."

"So how is the impossible possible?" I asked. I sounded calm, but inside I wanted to shake something. I wanted fucking answers. I was never good at the thinking part. "How did this happen?"

"You had unprotected sex with her," Robin countered with a sharp pat on my shoulder blade. I glared. "And lots of it." He was trying for jokes, but his voice still wavered.

"She said she was barren," I snarled, challenging him and her honesty.

Robin sighed through his nose. "She was..." The past tense caused both of us to pause, then Goodfellow was off again. "Like humans, females of both the peris and the 'Grendels' are born with all the eggs they will produce in a lifetime, which, as you can imagine, means their ovaries are much larger than a humans considering their long lives. The similarities split from there. I could not tell you the mating rituals of the Grendels as that was never something I wanted in my vast expanse of knowledge, but to mate with your mother we would have to assume they have some form of genitalia and reproductive organs similar to humans. Peris mate the same as humans, but the gestation is more avian than Homo sapiens."

"I didn't ask for a history lesson, Loman." Cassie already told me peris laid eggs and that she couldn't.

Robin gave me a haughty look, waiting for me to sit back and listen before he continued. "Cassie had the hormones for both races which made it impossible for her to have a successful gestation be it through the womb or a hard-shelled egg. Point in fact, she wasn't born with any eggs, utilizable or otherwise. She'd seen several healers to prove this to herself and sometimes others." And just to see my challenge and stomp it down, he added. "She didn't lie to you, Caliban. She never wanted to risk it either."

I rolled my neck over the back of the couch and knocked my fist to the arm rest. "Which brings up back to how the fuck did she have my kid?"

"Cal, language," Niko snipped from the kitchen. I lifted my eyes to the rafters. Honestly, if this kid was sticking around he was going to learn the language of the uncouth sooner or later. This was New York after all.

I didn't ask about the fact that I'd only been without Castiella for eight months and that didn't even cover the nine months in the womb let alone the eighteen or so out. Cassie had been in Tumulus, nine months there was barely a few hours here. Even if he was here most of his short life it was no surprise the kid's age was all messed up.

"I don't know," Robin answered begrudgingly. "She didn't do it naturally that is certain. Something greater than nature took part in this."

"Science," Niko interjected again. This time making a slow loop around the kitchen counter as the gears turned in his head. "Could that have played a part?"

Robin tilted his head toward my brother as if discussing the literary angles of a new murder mystery at book club. The only reason I didn't interrupt them was because they might have been on to something. If there was one thing I trusted without fail in this world it was my brother's head and heart. "How do you mean?"

Nik paused behind me, dropping his hand to either side of my skull, which was still lolled back in exasperation. "You mentioned hormones. Her hormones balanced in the form of negation, but what if that balance was shifted, chemically?"

"A sound theory, but an egg would be needed. Cassie, as I said before, had none."

"Science as come a long way. It's possible an egg containing her DNA was inserted in her uterus."

"Artificial insemination? You think Cassie was injected with an embryo fertilized by Caliban's sperm. Even if it might be possible, how would all those elements..." Robin stopped, thank god, and a light bulb when off behind his green eyes.

"There was no need for pre-fertilization, my little brother was doing plenty of the real thing without urging," Niko said with an edge of annoyance. He tilted the recliner back so I could meet his eyes without craning my neck back. Even upside down he looked pissed off; hopefully it wasn't at me, because seriously he could _not_fault me for this. "And they let you."

"Who let me?" And then I got it. Good 'ol Cal ever so slow on the uptake sometimes. "The Vigil," I hissed out and sat up so suddenly from the chair that Ace fell back on his rump in startled fright. "Those fucking assholes."

"Cal—"

"No!" I snapped pointing a finger at my brother. "No, I'm allowed to curse as much as I goddamn want! They did this to us! Those bastards locked us up like lab rats and bred us. They fucking bred us, like a puppy mill. For what? Him? Did they seriously think they could control a half Auphe, quarter peri? And what did they want him for? More experiments?" Ace stared at me with those wide gray eyes and all I could think of was him locked up in that phobia-inducing submarine coffin. Nothing but darkness and a fluffy blanket to keep his heart still. Poked and prodded for blood and cells, all to create some indentured weapon of mass destruction. It would have been the same as the Auphe; those bastards were going to use him like their own person toy, like a bomb with a brain.

My rage continued to built, but it was a strange kind of rage. The kind I didn't normally get unless someone or something threatened my brother to get to me. Now they were using me to create something more. Not that I wasn't used to being a stepping stone to something wholly evil, but to purposely create a life that they had no intention of giving free will to... "How did they even know he would be all right? He could have come out claws first, teeth gnashing. He could have killed all of them before he even learned his first word."

"But he didn't," Niko said calmly. He stepped up beside me, forever at my shoulder supporting. "He turned out fine, from the looks of it. And he was born with a chance at freedom."

"At the cost of his mother's life." I stood there, staring down at this reckless ball of energy and curiosity and felt my anger turn to embers in the back of my mind. It would come back, like it always did, but at the moment it was cinders. "I can't do this."

"Not alone, I'll give you that," Robin said. "The poor thing would end up running through the apartment in his own filth as you would be too insolent and lazy to figure out how to put on a diaper. And with your outlook on education I would hate to see his boorish adolescent years. And then were he to become rebellious, why, the city wouldn't survive."

I wanted so much to punch him, but settled on taking the closest pillow and chucking it at his head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, you dick."

"I'm not going to start lying to you now, we have such an honest and open relationship," Robin smirked. "Besides you aren't alone and you have nothing to fear. Your family will help you."

"We don't even know for sure if he's mine, ours..."

"Does it matter?" Niko's voice was soft, a hand clamping down on my shoulder. "Castiella sent him to us, that much we can be sure of. And she did so with reason. Whether he's your son or just another lost lamb, we can give him what Cassie never had. Protection, loyalty, and family."

I swallowed hard, looking down at the little boy who was offering me a piece of the three of hearts. "I guess this means you'll be teaching me how to change a diaper." Niko chuckled in a low hum and knocked his forehead to my temple.

"Among many other things, yes. And be it by blood or by bond from here on out, that is my nephew right there." Niko seemed far too happy about this. I regarded him with a blank look, not sure how to reply. It wasn't little Ace's fault. He didn't ask to be born from a scientific miracle. He didn't ask to be hunted by his dark and evil half cousins. Didn't ask to lose his mother and be thrust upon a father who had no freakin' clue how to raise a child. But that didn't change the fact that I was losing my mind here.

I had been so careful. Fear of what my 'seed' would produce always in the back of my mind. When George kissed me, when I went on a crusade to lose my virginity with a wood nymph, when I slept with Delilah and even when I had that highly awkward conversation with Cassie on our first 'date'. I always had that fear that the Auphe would get out, that by some unprecedented turn of events I would get some poor girl pregnant and my offspring would eat its way through her womb and take the world by vicious storm. Seeing the Auphelings in Nevah's Landing didn't help. All of them deranged and deformed, none of them looked completely human. Flaxen hair or blood red eyes, jagged teeth or gaunt bodies, tied and tethered to their cages. They thought I was coming to play...

And aside from the little boy looking, by human standards, adorable and being relatively well tempered even if a little destructive, my worst nightmares had been realized. I fell in love and something beyond us created an impossible child that in turn got his mother killed.

"So what's his name?" Robin asked cheerfully. "Since it seems you're keeping the puppy."

I shrugged. "I've been calling him Ace."

"We are not naming him Ace," Niko griped. I think he only let the nickname go because the kid seemed to like it.

"Well, what do you suggest? Romeo?" I countered. The side of Niko's mouth went up in a smile of amusement. I sat up so I could twist and glare at him. Granted it would be rather symbolic to name my potential son after a loved Shakespeare protagonist while my namesake was the monster of the Tempest, but there was no way in hell I was naming my son 'Romeo'.

"A child that's been through hell and back and probably will several times in his life?" Robin mused. "Orpheus? Sisyphus?"

"Sisyphus, what the hell? Are you trying to get him beat up on the playground?"

"Dante," Niko said suddenly.

Little Ace stopped pushing the bits of cards around the floor with spread hands and looked up expectantly at my brother. His little mouth opened producing a little "Aa?" as if replying "Yes?" to Niko's call. I lifted my eyebrows; he didn't even respond to Ace like that. And Dante was a decently cool name. Kinda bad-ass actually. I mean, the guy went through the nine levels of hell. I also wouldn't put it past Cassie to come up with the same name as my brother, they were alike in some ways, just a few which made the disturbing factor a little less.

"Dante?" I asked the kid. He looked at me next, not quiet as bright-eyed as he'd been an hour ago, but I think that more had to do with him getting tired. "You like that name? Dante Leandros." I leaned back on the recliner and smirked. "It does have a nice ring to it."

Dante just let off a big yawn, got onto his feet, and toddled off to find something else to destroy. Robin snorted. "Right, I take that back." Off went the cushions again, one of them slung at the side of the puck's head, just like I had earlier only this one hit. "He's _definitely_yours."

Robin went home after a take out dinner from a restaurant of his choosing (and his paying) threatening to come back the next day with more fashionable clothes and pruning shears to tackle the mess that was my scruffy son. Though he did comment that Promise did a better job last minute than I would spending a week on Rodeo Drive. Not that I would ever be caught dead on Rodeo Drive unless I was being paid to kill something big and evil in one of the tight-ass, big-purse shops.

Promise was apparently staying another night, not that I minded at all. She could change a diaper faster than I could recover from gagging at the smell. The kid still remained attached to my hip, even with a gentle mother-figure like Promise near by. So when the clouds rolled in and the sky started grumbling, I figured he would be glued to my thigh.

No little kid liked lightening and thunder; at least, none that I ever met. Until now. I'd been scared shit-less by the crash and boom. I hid under my covers, huddled into Niko who was probably trying to read a book by candlelight. The freak. But Dante was fascinated. He sat on my bed and stared up at the small box windows transfixed.

I lounged beside him with my legs stretched toward the foot board, watching him. He didn't flinch at the flashes of light that made his gray eyes look stark white momentarily. He didn't shudder at the crack and roll of thunder. He just tilted his head like an inquisitive puppy, occasionally looking over at me with a goofy smile.

"You good?" Niko asked from the threshold of my room.

"He's changed and fed. I think we're good for a couple hours."

Niko smiled, the real kind that made him look his age instead of mid-aged man stuck in a mid-twenties body. He remained in the doorway, lingering. He'd been in surprisingly good spirits the entire night; he tried to hide it but part of him was ecstatic to have the little toddler in the house. Maybe he was in that mind-set finally, he was certainly old enough to have kids. He'd been looking after me for so many years he never got a chance to think about family other than his reckless, accident/death prone little brother. Maybe he'd secretly been thinking about it with Promise. They'd been going on three years now (counting the six months, Nik wasn't talking to her because of Cherish), that was damned long term for us.

I knew he had dates when we were younger, when he was in high school and I was dragging my feet through middle school. Because back then there had been four years between us, pre-Tumulus trip that shaved off two years of my life in the span of two days, literally. I never remembered it getting very far past the first or third date though. Girls that age didn't appreciate how thin my brother was spread between academics, work, vigorous physical training, and keeping his half-monster brother alive.

Nik shook his head slowly, eyes fixed on the newly dubbed Dante. "What are we going to do?"

I sat up, scooting back so I could prop my back against the headboard. "What are we going to do about him, about the Grendels, or about our current job?"

He sighed heavily and walked into the room. "All of the above. This really changes everything. You know the Grendel watching the Wendigo's house was looking for him. They'll hunt us again, more aggressively than before. This child, even if only the child of another unsuspecting human, is human enough for them to try to break through time again."

"Technically, if he isn't mine he might not be human at all," I countered. Niko tilted his head to one side in challenge. Yeah, I could deny it all I wanted, but one look into those round gray eyes and it was obvious who his daddy was…unless Niko was banging Cassie behind my back. Uh, that thought made me swallow back a little bile.

And of course considering the things the Auphe wanted Dante for had crossed my mind as well, or more like it zig-zagged like a pinball through my head. They didn't have Darkling anymore, but who was to say they hadn't found another way. These were the next generation Auphe, no limits because they didn't know history. Dante was like me, one of the few successful experiments. I didn't know if he could open gates now, or if he would ever be able to travel, but he was certainly just as 'human' as I was. Which explained why the Auphe had wanted him enough to take Cassie on. Which explained why they became so aggressive that they killed her to get her away from their new little prize. And they would probably attempt the same with me. No more games.

"You think he's too young to teach him to shoot a .38?"

"If he's anything like his father we should probably start early." I glared at Nik, but the scowl melted when little Ace started crawling over the bed toward me, then onto me. His little hands pressed against my stomach and chest and without so much as a spare glance he flopped down and made to go to sleep.

"Oh no," I laughed and awkwardly scooped him up. "You are not sleeping in bed with me." Dante whined a little, but when I put him in his crib he dropped on his rump, then his back and was out in the time it took me to tuck him in. I paused, un-tucked the bedding stretched too tightly over his little body, then tucked it in again. I grimaced. "Am I doing this right? It looks like I've wrapped him in a cocoon."

Niko walked over to stand beside me over the crib railing. "He's fine. Cal, you're doing fine. Not to say I expected to be having to encourage you through a situation like this."

"Well, if one of us was going to knock-up a girl out of wedlock we both knew it was gonna be me," I snorted and folded my arms over the crib railing, leaning my chin there. "He does look like me, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does," Niko replied. He shook his head and snickered. "Exactly like you. It's like I'm looking at a photo of you when you were so tiny." I glanced over at my brother out of the corner of his eye. The expression on his face was damned near maternal. Gray eyes softer than I'd ever seen with a little twinkle in them and a little curl at the corner of his mouth.

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't go that far. This still complicates things tremendously." That was an understatement. We had the supernatural community at our throats as it was; now we were adding a moving target in the shape of the tiny tot that couldn't even form the syllables of his own name, if he even had one. I didn't want to know what our enemies would do to him if they got their claws or paws on him, but I did know I would murder the shit out of them if they tried. Son or not, he was innocent and I intended to keep him that way for as long as I could. No whiskey driven whoring mother telling him he was spawned from the devil for a large purse for Dante Leandros.

A light clearing of the throat brought our attention to the doorway of my bedroom. We both knew Promise was standing there, watching us; she may have been light on her feet, but there was no way Niko didn't hear her and I smelt the subtle fragrance of her shampoo heighten when she drew closer. She was wearing modest pajamas made of silk, just thin enough to tease the imagination into wanting desperately to know what was underneath. Not me, mind you, I still valued my nether region and wanted to keep it in tack, but it certainly prompted my brother to draw away from the crib when she did the same from my threshold.

"I suppose, that's my cue," he said.

"Nn-hn," I teased, not even lifting my head from my arms. "Use a condom."

He smacked me over the back of the head in passing, but was gone before I could retaliate, not that I'd bother. I was fucking tired. Running around after mini-me was exhausting. I re-tucked him in one last time, leaving the blanket a little looser around his body, then dumped my own onto my bed. I was out for the count in minutes. Apparently, that was another thing Dante inherited from daddy; pass out in the face of confusion.


	6. Chapter 6 Cal

**Chapter Six **

**Cal**

My grip tightened on the handle of my favorite knife under my pillow, black matte, serrated and deadlier than my bite, until I caught Promise's perfume again; orchid this time and brief, like she merely peeked in to check on us. I'd left the door open last night. Thoughts of the Auphe near made me want _nothing_ between me and Nik save for his bedroom door. Because I was wrong about the whole they could sleep together without _sleeping_together thing, they were just so damned quiet that I never woke up from it before. I did, however, wake up from Dante's little coos of complaint or discomfort every three hours, which is how I learned my brother was still getting laid, despite our living arrangement –lucky bastard.

I also learned I was better at changing diapers half asleep.

I didn't even open my eyes when Promise left the room, too tired to care that I was sprawled over my bed with half the sheets kicked to the floor. I was sure there was drool and bed head, but who the fuck cared? Promise was as good as my sister and Nik _was_my brother, they could deal with the less than pretty image of a very sleepy Cal. Another set of near silent footfalls approached the bedroom. Niko, obviously. I stirred, but didn't have the energy to open my eyes yet. Why was he coming in too? Was something wrong with Dante?

"Damn, I wish I had a camera," Niko snickered softly through his nose. I peeled my eyes back and turned my head so I could see him standing over the crib. His gray eyes fixed on me and he shook his head in amusement. Shaking off some of the pins in needles that crept up my arm and gathering my legs out of the tangled sheets, I slipped off the bed and walked over to see what was so damned funny they had to wake me up after the night I'd just had.

Dante was still out cold –better be, I changed his diaper, gave him a sippy cup of juice, and even attempted to tell him the story about Little Red Riding Hood. The Grimm version, no son of mine was going to believe in those sissy Disney versions. The amusement factor came in the _way_he was out cold, almost exactly as I'd been on the bed. Sheets kicked to the bottom of the crib, legs akimbo and knotted in the mess. Arms stretched long over head and in one hand was a hard plastic fork from his dinner the night before, which he hadn't actually used during the meal. "I have no idea how he got a hold of that."

"Does it matter?" Niko hummed. "Maybe we should start him out with throwing knives."

"Sounds like a plan," I conceded. I scratched at my head and meandered away from the crib to put on a shirt. Or maybe take a shower. Instead I dropped back down on the bed and buried my face in the pillow. "Wake me in two hours."

And, hallelujah, he actually did. He actually let me crash for another two hours, then he set Dante on me. I woke when I heard Niko come back in the room, heard him take Dante out of the crib, whispering for him to 'get him'. And within seconds I felt the bed sag and little hands thrust against my back as if he were trying to give me chest compressions and missing the point. I glared over my shoulder, slung my arm over my head and dragged him to the mattress beside me.

"What do you want now?" I growled at him as he squealed. He still smelled like soap from his bath the night before and that floweriness that Robin had coined as foxglove. Dante mewled softly and pulled at my hair. It was strange having him against me, tucked under my arm and nuzzling his round face to my shoulder. There were few that had been in my bed other than me and of them Cassie was the only one to ever 'nuzzle' against me. The thought had me shift and wrap both arms around Dante, rolling onto my back and cradling his head to my chest. "What am I going to do with you, hm?"

"Maa?" he asked, half muffled as he teethed at my hair still in his little fist. I felt the lump that had been forming tighten like horse pill horizontal down my throat. I stared up at the ceiling, taking in a few deep breaths.

"Yeah, I miss her too."

Niko cleared his throat, yeah I knew he was still there, but he'd been watching me with such a sappy look that I didn't want to upset my stomach. I rocked my head to the side to look at him and rolled my eyes at that smug little smile on his lips. "Stop looking at me like that, you're making me nauseous."

"You two are just adorable." I threw my pillow at him. He ducked. "Now get up. We have to talk."

I groaned. The morning didn't improve when Dante decided that he was going to pretend to be a tumor on my calf. Let me say that taking a shower while he played with the shampoo bottle was not the bath time fun I usually enjoyed. It certainly killed my morning hormones though. And it was amusing to watch him squirt out the entirety of Niko's foul tasting toothpaste into the sink as I brushed my own. Not so amusing, however, to have him grabbing for my razor when I tried to shave away my three day old scruff.

Promise had vacated the apartment at some point. Niko was alone in the kitchen preparing his usual morning smoothie slop. Alone until Dante pranced over to him like a retarded puppy. Without skipping a beat, Niko scooped him up under his rump and deposited him on the rigged high-chair we came up with. It consisted of three phonebooks and a fleece blanket; precarious, but Dante seemed to be well balanced enough to remain seated while we kept an eye on him. Uncle Niko had a plastic bowl of dry Cheerios, halved grapes, and banana slices set out with a sippy cup all ready for the little hellion. And a full bowl for me with the milk set next to it. I refrained from making any comments about domestication, since big brother was doing me a lot of favors with the kid and I knew it wouldn't stop any time soon.

Dante dove right into breakfast, getting more of the o's on the table than in his mouth. I eased down beside him, close enough to catch him on this side and grab him if he teetered the other way on the chair. "I think he's still teething."

"Probably, all his teeth aren't in yet. It takes time."

I poured some milk on my cereal and dug in as well. As bland as it was it was still better than imitation egg white omelets, especially because I could put sugar on Cheerios, where no amount of ketchup could make imitation egg whites taste good. It was one of the few overly processed foods that I didn't like. "So talk?" I urged, stealing a banana slice from Dante's bowl. He glared at me, actually glared at me with his cheeks puffed up. I tried not to laugh.

Niko wordlessly dumped some more bananas into both of our bowls, then went about cutting a second for his smoothie. I figured he wanted to 'talk' about Dante and/or the job. I also figured he was thinking about stepping out of the job and that was probably killing him. Not only was it a kidnapping, but it was the kidnapping of an eight year old girl. That didn't sit well with me and I was the king of assholes. "You thinking about bailing on the Wencas?"

"Considering it."

"Probably wouldn't look too good. Definitely put a bad mark on our currently flawless record."

Niko ignored my sarcasm. "I just don't know how to finish this without putting Dante in danger."

I snorted. "I don't think it can get much worse than the Grendels after his toddling ass." Niko shot me a look for the foul language; funny, how he thought one more scowl would stop me. "Simple. I'll track down Delilah tonight and you can babysit. I'll figure out where the baby cannibal smoke demon trickster is and the next night you and Robin can take out the she-pack and get her back to mommy while I read Dante a bedtime story."

"Simple as that," Niko repeated with a jaundiced look as he blended his breakfast. I waited until he was done.

"You have a better idea that doesn't involve putting the little kid in the same position Dante would be in if he didn't have us?" Niko stared at me. Yeah, sometimes those little moments of compassion came out of nowhere, but this was hitting a little close to home this time. I didn't like dividing our forces –it never went well when we did– but I trusted Goodfellow to protect my brother as valiantly as he defended his manhood and I wasn't willing to leave Dante alone for a second without Niko or me there to put a bullet or blade into any Auphe that tried to lay a hand on him. So this seemed to be the only way. Because I didn't fancy a Wendigo being pissed at me for abandoning her child to the wolves.

"You'll seek out Delilah tonight without tipping her off and we'll see from there. And Robin will go with you."

"Come on, the puck will only cramp my style."

Niko gave me a look that declared the subject over and decided, then he turned to the sink to pour the concoction into a travel cup. It didn't smell too bad today, mostly like bananas and grass. "I'm going to meet with Mickey and see if he has any information about the Lupa that might be able to help us. Can you handle being here with Dante for a few hours?"

"Sure, I'll take him down to the Circle, toss some darts and grab some beers." I was joking, but Niko didn't seem to appreciate it. In fact he looked as if he considered it a threat. "I'm not holing him up in our apartment for the rest of his life, Nik."

"If someone were to see him—"

"I'm not actually going to take him out to the Ninth Circle; I'm not an idiot. I'll stay around the humans. The park or something. To them, he'll just look like a cute little kid. Hell, maybe I can pick up some chicks. Not only am I a single dad, but a widower as well."

"Cal."

I stared at the table, grazing my nails along the grain. It didn't hurt until I said it aloud. In my head, it was just a means to push through, but passing my lips it hurt. I was pissed. At Castiella, yeah, I was pissed. She never told me. She lied to me. She fucking died on me and left me this crazy mess in the form of a toddler I didn't even know what I could and couldn't feed. But what hurt the most, what pissed me off the most, was that she wasn't here. I needed her and she wasn't here. She kinda had that MO though, from what Goodfellow told us. Like a summer breeze, always welcomed, but never there when you were sweating bullets.

"I'll keep him out of sight, but I'm not locking my son away from the world. We spent too many years hiding from our lives and the possibilities there in...I'm not letting Dante live the life we did. It's just not going to happen."

Niko sighed and pinched his long nose, but didn't argue. He was out the door ten minutes later, casting a pleading look my way, but knowing it wouldn't break my resolve (or stubbornness, whichever made him feel better). "I won't be long."

"Meet you at Battery park." I wasn't staying inside. I refused. Mostly because I didn't want to see what damage Dante could do given an entire day indoors. So I wrestled with him to get on his little sweater and tugged the hood over his dark hair. It was May in New York, but a cold front had put a chill in the air and mostly I wanted to avoid anyone seeing those tell-tale Leandros eyes.

Promise didn't bring us a stroller, but honestly I wouldn't be caught dead pushing one of those sidewalk-hogging banes of the human world. He could walk and I could carry him, which just meant no Eagle or Glock. I kept the .38 on my ankle and my knife at my waist, banking on paternal instinct to do the rest. And if I actually had any, we would just have find out in the thick of it. I doubt the humans of the New York rat race would pose much of a threat.

We were out of the house a half hour after Niko. I left the dishes and half eaten grapes on the table just to remind him of how much I loved him. I walked, not really trusting the subways. Too many nonhumans utilized the transportation system to get from one territory to the next. I'd smelt at least one monster on the rail every day I'd used the subway; I wasn't risking it.

So I walked. With Dante on my hip. And, as much as I joked, he was –no kidding– a fucking babe magnet. With my presence on a busy street, usually humans veer off to the nearest shop or corner without really understanding why, but with Dante making big, gray doe-eyes at them more than a few people offered smiles or cooed to him as we passed. I even got a few sultry smiles from a woman or two. Apparently, to them, I looked like dad of the year.

I was happy to note that Dante didn't seem like a total shut in. He startled at the break-retarders of a truck or the blare of an aggressive car horn, but for the most part he just peered curiously around like a casual observer. He wasn't surprised by the smells or sights, which had me believe he'd been outside frequently with his mother. Half of that might have been on the run, but he'd at least seen a sky that wasn't a static gray.

I took him up Broadway to watch the peddlers sing and perform for cash and coin near Central Park. The artists there were mostly human and the ones that weren't human knew enough to ignore the half Auphes as best they could, if they sensed us at all. Not to say they wouldn't tell a friend, but I doubted it since they probably valued their life a bit more than for gossip.

I had no idea what to feed him, but I figured if Cheerios weren't too difficult a classic soft pretzel would be fine. And hey, it doubled as a teething ring. A very messy-when-wet teething ring.

I never intended to be a father. Let's face it, I was a lot of things and none of those things fell into the paternal category. But I also never expected my child to be so easy-going. Never imagined _what _my child would be like until yesterday, seeing how I never wanted to chance a new kind of hell spawn gracing the Earth. Dante was a pleasant surprise. Never crying, pretty obedient, a little reckless, but hell that was a given considering his parents.

"Oh, how adorable!" I cringed at the squeal. I'd stopped to sit on a bench between two feuding hotdog vendors; taking a break to clean my son up a bit. For the most part people admired Dante from afar or in passing. I was still half Auphe and that usually kept even the curious ones at bay. Avert thine eyes from that which was death and murder embodied. I tried not to look up from tugging pieces of wet, mushy pretzel off Dante's hoodie as he continued to half bite, half gum at the remaining loop. Maybe they would go away.

"What's his name?" Or not. I sighed and turned to the girl. If she came much closer to the bench I feared Dante might growl at her like he did Promise. He didn't seem to like strangers. I patted his chubby thigh when I heard a little rumble in his throat, true to form. I shared his pain.

"He's still learning to socialize, could you, uh, take a step back?" The brunette –pretty girl with long black waves that covered her shoulders and her small chest– took an immediate step back.

"Does it bite?" she tried to joke through a laugh.

"He might." Her laugh died.

She looked Hispanic, but dressed like a college hippie. Behind her were two guys, one that seemed more the computer club type than frat boy and the other…the other was a hunter. I could see it in his eyes; he was both predator and prey. And just behind him was a vision of both my dreams and nightmares. My breath actually caught and I wanted to run. Oh, did I want to run as fast as I could away from the horribly awkward conversation that was about to happen.

"Cal?"

How did I not see it coming? I wandered to this part of the city, away the hustle of main streets, because I knew it well and I knew it to be a nicer, more human, part of town. Our first New York apartment wasn't far by subway. There was an ice cream shop Nik and I used to frequent here, not that either of us had a yen for rocky road, but because there had been a psychic that used to hold court in that shop. She read you through touch, told you (mostly) what you needed to know and you bought a sundae to keep the old foggie that owned the place in business.

And she was glorious. A mix of many human races that gave her smooth amber skin and coppery curls, freckles from cheek to cheek and a smile that could rival every poem ever written about the sun. I fell in love with her, Georgie Porgie pudding pie. I tried so hard not too and she kicked down my barriers with a smile and a kiss. But then, she was hurt because of me. She was kidnapped and traumatized because of me. And that just put it all into perspective. I couldn't have her because it would kill her.

Fuck, the second female I fell in love with had faced death dozens of times and served it its own head on a platter and she still died because of the Auphe, my unwanted family. But long before that I knew it could happen to George, easily. I wanted her to look into our future to see if there were the average fights between lovers or me (or her) standing before a funeral casket. She wouldn't. For as much as she could see, she was willing to see only a fraction. It spoiled the surprise, or whatever was supposed to happen would happen, or something equally aggravating that she used to say to avoid the truth of the matter. The truth being I could get her killed or I could kill her and in the end that wasn't a risk I was willing to take.

She hadn't changed one bit. Well, maybe a little. Her body had become a little more womanly, hips broadening, chest filling out. Nothing too drastic, just the subtle things any man with testosterone would notice. Her hair was longer, even longer than before Hob hacked it off to send it to me like a wrapped bloody finger; I was happy to get the braid of hair when one considered all the possibilities to send a threat with. The sun-kissed curls fell below her shoulders, partially pulled back so little ringlets fell across her cheeks, which were still as freckled as I remembered. George's was a flawed beauty, but the air about her made her beyond alluring.

"George, what are you doing here?" I didn't get up from the bench. If I got to my feet I would have probably grabbed Dante and fled. One of the reasons I said we couldn't be together was because I knew we could never have a family. And Georgina was the family type. So sitting with a little boy that obvious looked like my baby clone was probably not going to be received well.

"Just finished finals," she offered. "My friends wanted to see New York to celebrate." She glanced between the two guys, gaze lingering on the one to her left for a split second longer. I eyed him up, the hunter. Tall, maybe six foot, lithe, but I wouldn't say he spent all his time behind a computer. Maybe track or soccer or maybe he was a literal hunter; going out to snag a stag or some pheasant. He was handsome, I guessed. Strong jaw, sharp nose, careless brown hair, and nondescript hazel eyes. Nothing to write home about, though back in the day I knew Robin would have tried to have a go at him. His friend was a little chubby, but still tall enough to pull it off without looking fat. The four of them made a strange motley crew, but that was to be expected when it came to George.

"Georgie, you know him?" the Latina brunette asked.

"Uh, yeah." George was just as uncomfortable as I was, which was a first, and she glanced at Scarecrow the hunter again. He had to be her boyfriend, either that or she told her friends about me and hadn't ever expected us to meet. "This is Caliban Leandros..."

All of them panned disbelieving eyes on me, sizing up or studying or just plain shocked. Ah, yeah, she told them about me, but the question was how much? Scarecrow flipped his keys in his hands; not so slyly placing one between his fingers so it could be used as a weapon when punching. I snickered at him, pointedly dropping my eyes to his make-shift weapon. "Not going to help you at all, slick."

"Josh," George supplied and ran her hand down his arm to still it. "And there's no need for that anyway." She gave her boyfriend a pointed look. "Cal, isn't going to hurt you. Calm down."

'Josh' didn't seem to believe her at all and continued to scowl at me; waiting for me to sprout horns and bull rush them, no doubt. I frowned and brushed my hand over Dante's crown. He was getting antsy and a hostile gaze on us wasn't helping sate the soft growl in his throat. "You told them too much."

"Probably," she answered, regaining her familiar carefree tone. The one I both adored and sometimes hated. Mostly hated when she talked about the danger she was in or had been in with that lackadaisical _c'est la vie_manner.

I was a little pissed that she would be blasé about that dropped bomb though. All the times I asked her for help and she denied me for the balance of the future or whatever, but she can tell her college friends about the monster she used to date. "You tell them too much and you don't tell me anything. How does that work for you?"

'Josh' continued to glare daggers at me, probably wishing to shove that car key into my eye, but with George's fingers still touching his forearm he couldn't help but stay put like a good little lap dog. George brushed a copper ringlet behind her ear, calling my attention back to her. "They ask about the present and the past. Things that can't be changed. What you were asking of me—"

No way was I having this conversation again. I stood from the bench and hoisted Dante against my hip. She was telling her study-buddies about the shit that went on underground and in the darkest alleys. She was telling them things that could easily get them killed if they strayed too far into the night. And she was _still_trying to say that she wouldn't look, because things weren't supposed to be changed. So her friends were supposed to know everything her uncle was trying to keep secret from the humans with the Vigil? They created an entire organization to hide the truth from and protect the humans and she believed her little circle of friends needed to be above that.

"Cal, I looked!"

I stopped short and turned just enough to glare at her skeptically. George frowned. She didn't do that often either. I watched her wet her lips and pull her hand away from the Scarecrow. "I looked and I didn't see myself there. I'll admit that scared me a little. So I looked again and I saw her." She ducked her head. "And I didn't want to look anymore."

My eyes narrowed. 'Her' couldn't be many. I doubted George would make the misconception of some girl she briefly saw in a vision being my girlfriend just because she was there. George would know better than that. No, it would have to be an intimate moment that she saw. One that would leave her with no doubts in her mind that I had moved on. Which left two 'hers', depending on when she finally got the balls to look and depending on how far she looked into the future, because if it was anytime beyond the present I had no idea who it'd be. So either George saw a love not known yet, me banging Delilah (not too intimate in the emotional sense, but there were plenty of moments to make George uncomfortable), or me with Cassie...at any point in time with Cassie.

"He's hers, right?" I glanced at Dante, whom she motioned to. So it was Cassie. There was no way George would see Delilah and I as a happy little family. We slept together for fun and convenience and it was obvious. "He has your eyes."

"Among other traits," I intoned. "He wasn't planned. I didn't just say those things—"

"I know. You have no reason to explain." Georgina took in a deep breath and stepped in front of her friends. "So I'm just going to say this: I'll always be curious, what might have, could have, happened, but I don't regret anything. Because I'm happy and I know you're happy with her. That's all I need to know, so I'm not going to look anymore. Not for any reason."

She approached me and Dante. A hand out for him to subtly sniff before she brushed it over the side of his face. He didn't growl, sensing no danger from George. In fact, he didn't even watch her in suspicion. His gray eyes were fixed on me and soon George's were too. "Cal?" Her fingers swept under my lashes before I could back away; the tip came back wet. I scrubbed at my eyes with my shirt sleeve and cleared my throat. "Caliban, what wrong?"

"You should've looked farther." I forced a laugh, but my jaw clenched in the next moment, making a little snap as I tried to control the tension in my throat and neck. "She's dead." I didn't look at George or her friends, didn't want the pity. So who the fuck knew why I even said it at all. "His mother's dead, so...not exactly happy, but you're right. I had my moments, which is more than I could ask for with my life."

I adjusted Dante on my hip, burying my nose into his foxglove hair for a moment and smiling. "Curious, but without regret." I nodded. "That sounds about right."

"Cal..."

"Don't. You know pity just pisses me off," I told her. I brushed my free hand under her chin, clucking her there despite her boyfriend tensing up considerably behind her. "Just keep doing what you're doing. And find a better boyfriend, he seems like a bigger douchebag than me."

"Fuck off, hell spawn."

"Josh!" George snapped at him, then she turned and pushed me in the shoulder. "Don't instigate him. He's just concerned about me, wants to protect me. Just like you did. It's annoying, frankly, but at least you had a reason to believe you might break me. Not a good one, but..."

I smiled, genuinely this time. She had changed. Just a little. Subtle new physique and brazen new persona. She'd always been stubborn, always said what she felt without fail, but now...it was different. Because with me she thought she knew what she wanted, but now she seemed to know exactly what she needed. George put one hand on Dante's knee and one on my chest. She wasn't reading us, she wasn't that crazy. Maybe it was just to get Dante's attention as well as my own. "I looked farther than this. So," she tilted her head to one side, copper curls cascading like a waterfall on fire. "Don't lose hope."

She dotted a kiss to my cheek and took another moment to gaze at Dante and what 'could've been'. "He's beautiful." Another beautiful monster. There was no way to know if George would have produced a child like Dante; if he would have been less Auphe or more. No way of know, which made us curious. But she walked away holding Josh's hand tight in hers with a smile on her face and a knowing glint in her eyes. She knew, not what could have been, but what needed to be.

"He's cute," her boho-dressed friend muttered to George, smiling at me over her shoulder. I snorted and started off in the opposite direction.

Farther than this, hm? Did that mean I could actually find someone else? Romance and love were in my near future and all that shit? I somehow doubted it, but then again I never hoped for Cassie and she appeared out of nowhere. Never expect. She always told me. Never expect and you'll always be ready for anything.

I bounced Dante and cringed at the warmth I felt under the fabric of his pants and diaper. Yeah, never expected this and still wasn't prepared in the least. Dante made a face at me, nose wrinkle and mouth puckered in discomfort. "Yeah, you did that. You proud?" I'd only stuffed one diaper in the inside pocket of my jacket, which meant we would have to start heading home soon. Which was a little disappointing; I kinda liked walking around New York without being a social pariah.

I ducked into the nearest Starbucks and bought Dante a chocolate milk so I could get the bathroom key. Thankful that the corporate coffee shop was progressive enough to have a changing table in the men's room, I made quick work of his diaper. It wasn't just pee this time and I was going to kill Niko for giving him tofu and peas last night, because it smelled like the rotting insides of a revenant. I slapped the sticky sides of the clean diaper closed, shimmied his little jeans up, and lifted Dante off the changing table. "Better?"

"Yah," he replied.

"Yeah?" I laughed, setting him back on my hip. I left the bathroom with hope that they had a good air freshener somewhere.

Dante cuddled into me a little more than he had been when we stepped back out into the street. His head tucked against my neck and his hands fisted in my shirt and jacket. He'd refused the chocolate milk, so the box took the place of his last diaper in my jacket. From the moment we got his trust he'd pretty much eaten and drank everything we set before him. The refusal was a little unnerving. He had chugged the chocolate milk I made him at the apartment and I doubted he knew the difference between chocolate syrup milk and the fake healthy Starbucks chocolate milk.

"What's wrong, Ace?" He nuzzled my neck, then I felt his body tense and a low rumble start in his chest, quiet enough that it was barely audible. Then_ I_sensed it, or rather I smelled it. The scent of werewolf. I clutched Dante a little more firmly and touched the tips of my fingers to the handle of my concealed knife. They were approaching from behind and not in the just-passing-through manner. Three of them, splitting off to come up on either side of me with one at my back.

Dante had lifted his head from my shoulder, peering behind us and still growling. I hoped to all that was holy his eyes weren't blood red. That would just be my luck, announcing to the Kin I had an Auphe baby in my arms. I turned down the closest alley, trying to get out of the populated street. It would corner me, but I could travel home if I had to. Dante was probably born with blood on his hands so I also had no qualms against slicing and dicing a couple of wolves in front of him.

I set him down on his tiny sneakers behind me and turned with my blade out. What I saw made me let off a growl of my own. Three females stood in the opening of the alley, all three wrapped in tight clothing that showed off every well-earned muscle and curve. All three looked of high-breed; able to look completely human or completely wolf if they so chose. But I knew the female in the center, the Alpha, wasn't high breed. I knew how long it had taken her to get to her position and I knew what she had to do to get there. I knew the exposed scars on her abdomen had made her sterile and I knew her voice went low and erotic when she wanted something. I also knew she liked rough sex.

Delilah. Exotic, dangerous Delilah with her svelte body wrapped in black leather and her long white-blond hair pulled back into a high pony tail. I stared into her amber eyes, warning her as best I could without words to leave now. Because I would defend Dante with my life and I would kill her if I had to. No, strike that, I would kill her in front of Dante if I had to; if it were just me in this alley she would be dead already. I flipped the knife, wishing I'd listened to Nik when he asked to me stay home, but how was I to know today was return of the living exes day?

"What do we have here? Pretty boy and his little lost blackbird."

I tightened my grip on the handle. Dante hissed and clutched my pant leg. This just wasn't my day.


	7. Chapter 7 Cal

**Chapter Seven **

**Cal****  
**  
Ironically, the first time I met Delilah, she'd saved me. A Redcap long thought dead decided an Auphe hybrid was a perfect appetizer and took a hunk out of my chest...with his teeth. Fucking cannibal. I might have survived the night without her aid, but I probably wouldn't have survived the impending infections. Hospitals and doctors were a no go for me, as proven by the Vigil.

Some humans knew what went bump in the night, despite the entire human government and the Vigil's desperate need to hide it from the kids, but for the most part the Vigil did their job well. They stopped uprisings where they could (outsourcing guns-for hire most of the time), kept tabs on the naughty and nice, and cleaned up Niko and my messes on more than one occasion. Only we found out the hard way that wasn't their only job. The zealot group of humans had questionable sanity to begin, but there was always more to it.

I had no idea if the Vigil was funded by the government, but it made sense that they would be and the US government wouldn't waste money on just watching. Not when they could try and create living weapons. Last year, the Vigil netted me, tagged me, and only set me free because we exploded their facility. It wasn't a fun ride, despite the fact that Cassie had been there in the thick of it with me.

No, hospitals would led to me becoming a lab rat again and we didn't want to chance it. Though when Sawney Beane bit me we hadn't even known about the Vigil. We didn't need to. We weren't stupid; we knew the humans would snatch me up and cut me open way back when mom still lived to call me monster.

Delilah was my savior that night years ago; using the healing accelerators in her werewolf saliva, she literally licked my wound clean. It left some sort of impression on her. A taste for the crazy half-monster perhaps. But we started having sex shortly after and not long after _that _we started trying to kill each other. I'd intended on finding her and trying to get information about the Wendigo's kid, sure, but that intention was for nightfall when I didn't have a toddler spitting like a cat behind my legs.

"What do you want?" I snarled, bearing my teeth. She pursued me this time, so honestly this would have been the perfect opportunity to turn the tables and _get_ information. Less suspicious for me to ask questions when she came to _me_, but my concern was Dante right now. I had to get him to safety; away from the wolves.

"To meet new addition to family," Delilah teased. Her voice was playful; the strange accent, which wasn't really an accent, but her voice chords being more wolf than human, seemed stronger with the musicality of it. "You think you can hide him from us? We smell him from miles away. Pungent little bird. Smells like poison and sugar." She said it as if she was dying for a taste of the newest pastry craze. I flipped my phone out behind my back and texted Niko a distress call, or at least I hope I did. I either texted him 9-1-1 or 8-#-#, but I figured he could get the gist and he could ping my location via GPS on his phone. Get here quick, Superman. Batman needs you before Catwoman decided to catch little Robin in her jowls. Huh, that analogy worked entirely too well. Of course, Delilah would have been furious to be compared to a cat.

Delilah prowled into the alleyway, one booted foot crossing in front of the other –both predatory and sexual, of course those things went hand in hand with werewolves. Eat, mate, kill; sometimes all three at the same time. The Kin especially loved mixing business with pleasure. I eyed the other two wolves with caution. Both were considerably attractive. Of the few I'd seen of Delilah's pack _and _the dozens upon dozens I'd seen of female Kin, the sex appeal surprised me. One had sleek black hair in a braid down her back, a scar trailing from collarbone to deep under her tight jacket, the other was a brunette as well, but with a rusty hue and eyes of brassy bronze. Both were tall, lean, and ready to rip my throat out upon Delilah's command.

Delilah was taking her time and pleasure with this. She knew she had me cornered, both physically and with her new knowledge. Dante was not leverage I wanted her to have. I never intended for her to _ever_know about him. I knew it was a pipe dream, but I had it nonetheless, and like all the others it was torn to bits at my feet. "I don't really have time for introductions, 'Lilah. So I guess we'll just have to set up a play date for some other time."

"Play now," she argued. She stood directly in front of me and touched her finger to the tip of my blade, flicking it with her nail so it hummed lightly in my hand. "You take job from Wendigo?" I clenched my jaw; well, there went the element of innocence. There was no way she would tell me where the kidnapped child was now, not even a hint. "Yes, you did. Little hero, little half sheep."

"Let the kid go, Delilah. It's underhanded even for you. You want to fight, duel with the Wendigo." I grinned at her. "Hell, I'll even put in for a mud pit if you'd like. I'm sure you'd make the Kin some mad cash with that event. Better than a pit bull fight."

Delilah glared, tilting her head to one side to fully emphasize just how disappointed she was with me. The line between love and hate really was thinner than a hair. Or in our case the line between lust and loath was thinner than a layer of flesh. "Stay out of Kin business. We will get to you eventually. No need to rush."

"You're a coward." She seethed at that as I knew she would. "You hide behind a child so that Wendigo won't tear you apart. You've tied her hands and bridled her lover. Doesn't seem like a fair fight. And I don't mean in the usual Kin way. It seems easy. The pussy's way out."

Delilah knocked the knife to the side and made to slap me; still playing with her food. The slap never came, though I only prepared for the air to breeze by my cheek when I dodge anyway. Instead she leapt back three feet, hackles up and white teeth bared. Her leather pants were torn at her calf, four sharp lines weeping red. I could smell the blood and, between my legs, saw it dripping from black claws three inches long that split the flesh of my son's fingertips. Yeah, Cassie was definitely the mother.

Delilah stared at Dante in new assessment. He wasn't the defenseless blue jay she'd thought him to be, but hardly was he a threat. Her almond-shaped eyes flickered up to meet mine, studying still. Trying to figure out just how much of this kid was Auphe, since I obviously couldn't do that. She'd never known Cassie was half Auphe too; when they fought Cassie had fought as peri and only peri and she still managed to kick Delilah's ass. So I could only image the confusion, because in her mind Dante was mostly peri with an Auphe/human twist. Surprise, surprise, bitch.

"You know if you really want to meet the family, Delilah. I can arrange that."

"Auphe are dead, you said—"

"I was wrong. Not so uncommon. Just like I was wrong to think you deserved a chance. I was wrong to think you'd take it. And I was wrong to think you were the best sex I'd ever have." I smirked at her rolling her shoulders in agitation. They had to smell him; as silent as he was my ninja brother was no match for a wolf's nose. And that was probably why he took the rooftop entrance, sliding down the fire escape and landing with a soft thump behind me. He heard his sword leave its sheath, judging by the wide ring of it, it was probably the thick one he hid between his shoulder blades. Better for these cramped quarters than a katana or broad sword, so I applauded him for the choice.

The wolves didn't attack, which meant they never had the intention to. If they had wanted me dead, Delilah would have torn my throat out herself and she would have done it before I got my hands on my cell phone. She'd never admit it, but she was more leery of my human brother than me. With good reason; she watched him slaughter a menagerie of baddies to get to the boss monster by himself without breaking a sweat let alone his stride. He'd lost focus since he thought I was dead, or rather he had his focus pinpointed on the bastard he thought did me in. It was frightening; I saw it too. So since she let me call big brother that meant this was reconnaissance work. She saw something that made her curious or someone tipped her off that I was on a father son outing and she'd come to see for herself.

"When I told you to talk to Delilah, I didn't mean for you to take him with you."

"Sorry, I missed that memo," I grumbled. Niko stepped up beside me, then in front of me. He tossed glinting metal behind his back without looking and I caught it. My Glock. I smiled; my brother would put every Boy Scout in the world to shame. I scooped Dante up with one arm, nudging him up my side with a knee and looping the same arm under his rump. He clutched onto me for the ride, seemingly a master at the grab and run. No doubt this wasn't new to him. I backed up against the wall so they wouldn't be able to efficiently circle, gun level with Delilah's forehead.

"Protect little bird as much as you want. For this I will taste his blood and your pain," Delilah hissed motioning to her pants as Robin would when monster guts got on his favorite shirt. "Maybe I find new hobby in collecting hybrid vermin. Rare meat, they are."

"Fuck you, Delilah." Eloquent I was not, but I was building up to rage. "You touch my son and I swear you'll wish I killed you right now."

Niko's eyes flickered toward me in fleeting disappointment. It didn't matter, she had to know, Delilah could figure this out. She was a smart puppy, deserved a treat. Maybe a tasty bullet to the brain. She knew Dante was my son, from his claws and probably his appearance, but she smelled him as peri too. She knew I was sleeping with Cassie and knew Cassie as a peri. It wasn't a far cry to figure out the great who bore who mystery.

Delilah laughed, low and rumbling and somehow still sexy despite my feral urge to rip her eyes out and choke her little friends with her intestines. "When we meet again we see if you can fight with hands tied. We see if you can fly to your little bird." With that she and the other two leapt and bounded up the sides of the alley, flipping onto the fire escape railings and taking the roofs as their escape. Niko flipped his blade back into its invisible sheath beneath his duster and spun to look me and Dante over.

"He's bleeding," Niko murmured taking the hand that had been clawed moments ago. There were little smudges of blood on the pads of his tiny fingertips, but it wasn't his.

"Its Delilah's," I told Nik. His gray eyes –same as mine, same as Dante's– widened in mild surprise. "Our kitten has claws."

"The mark on her leg?" I nodded. Niko smirked and dotted a kiss to Dante's forehead. "Good job, half-pint, but you should have gone for the eyes." Honestly, he probably would have if I'd been holding him. "Let's get him home."

I nodded, shoved my Glock in the back of my waistline, following after him with rocks rolling about in my stomach. The only consolation was Dante's nose wrinkling in distaste when he lapped a bead of blood on his fingers. He proceeded to wipe in on my shirt, but I was just glad he didn't suck at his dirty fingers with relish. He was normal, shocker. He was just your average little destructive, curious, bad-ass one year old. I hugged him to me as he walked back to the apartment.

Niko had dealt with this before. The constant fear that one monster or another would catch scent or sense of what I was and decided the world was better off without that bit of evil or that they wanted my blood for power. Other than the Auphe we never had much problem with the nonhumans unless we messed with them, but that fear was always there. That terrible nightmare that I would be there and gone in the next second. I remembered one day, one of many, I played hooky from school with my 'girlfriend'. I used the term loosely because at the time I was twelve and girlfriend merely consisted of holding hands and making doe-eyes at each other. Things had changed since then, if one looked at the statistics of teen pregnancy, but apparently I grew up in a simpler time.

I didn't even go home after school was over, like I usually did, and when I did get home Nik wasn't there. I didn't think much of it —probably at the library or off at some dojo or studio honing his ninja skills. I flopped down in front of the television and flipped through the basic channels as I munched on crackers. Back then, that was our version of chips; the closest thing I could get with our allowance or lack thereof. Niko stumbled through the door around dinnertime an absolute mess. Sweating in the fall cold, I could smell it on him when he dropped to the couch and wrapped his arms around me. I was at the stage where I would normally push him away with a complaint about him being so touchy-feely, but something stopped me. Something being the break in a usually unflappable calm. Nik had been scared, terrified, that the Auphe had gotten me. He scoured the little town for hours, blindly hoping his little brother was safe somewhere _anywhere_. Needless to say, I never stayed out without telling him first after that; not that I stopped playing hooky. Even the scholarly Nik couldn't stop me from being a rebellious teen.

Now I understood. I understood profoundly what he went through and I regretted every moment my stubborn ass made him doubt for one second I was okay. The Kin knew. The Kin knew that I had a son, that he was young and vulnerable and that I would do anything to keep him safe. They would use that, abuse that, in hopes that it would kill me. In hopes that they could take down the half-Auphe and claim his head as their achievement. No, Delilah wouldn't share that glory. It wouldn't be the Kin, just her and her pack of furry bitches. She would harbor that knowledge, but she would still use it against me. She threatened to take him from me. Just like she did the Wendigo and Púca's daughter. She threatened to kidnap him and torture him to torture me. But I wouldn't let her, because Nik had done this before and _I_survived. I had big brother at my side and no one would lay one finger on his nephew.

Another human got a little too close to me, smiling sweetly at the little bundle in my arms. I glowered; it was a small achievement for me to not bare my teeth at her. She ducked into her boyfriend and urged him along a little more quickly, muttering about the jerk with the baby. Niko's hand clamped on my shoulder, no doubt hearing the comments. "Calm down, we'll figure this out. Getting social services called on us will not help."

I stopped short on the sidewalk, no comeback at the ready and any that I might have had caught in my throat. Nik's hand was still to my shoulder so he stopped fluidly beside me. "Cal...I didn't mean...," he sighed and brushed a hand over Dante's messy crown of deep chocolate brown hair. He knew what I was thinking. The same thing I'd been thinking the moment 'this might be my son' came into my head. I wasn't fit for this. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I was lazy, inconsiderate, boorish, stubborn, and half monster. I couldn't raise a kid. I couldn't raise him right at least.

"Cal, listen to me," Nik ordered. He flicked my forehead to get my attention away from the sidewalk. Dante giggle at the action and my cringe. "Listen to me and look at him. Barely an hour with you and you were the only one he would let touch him. He clings to you because he trusts you, because he likes you. Because you are doing everything right. Yeah, our life sucked, as you would say, balls, but that just means we know exactly what he needs because we never had it. And we can give it to him."

Lecture done, he smacked me lightly on the side of the face. "Let's go."

Niko didn't find Mickey. The strange rat-like snitch had apparently relocated without telling us, but at least the junk yard Niko had been prowling through to find him was close to me and Dante. We were at square one with new stakes much higher than we anticipated. So we did what we always did. We called in for informational back up.

Both Promise and Goodfellow had been around for a while. Promise at least 600 hundred years and Robin, well, we never got a number out of him, but close to the dawn of time probably wasn't much of an exaggeration. They had connections of the nonhuman and monster variety. Of course, asking over Promise and Robin at the same time was a little ballsy, since Promise had a bit of hostility toward Robin for trying to jump her boyfriend's bones constantly and Goodfellow didn't like being told what he could and couldn't have. So we separated them. I even let Robin cut Dante's hair to get him out of the living room where Promise and Niko were talking. I told him what happened that morning, leaving out my surprise visit from George (which I didn't do with Nik). I didn't feel like dealing with Robin talking endlessly about the mistakes I made with her. Because Goodfellow was the end all know all when it came to relationships...right.

"So it wasn't even a veiled threat. The lupine vixen just bared her fangs and told you she was taking your son. And why would you even confirm that? Regardless to if or when she comes to that conclusion, it was not the wisest decision to reveal your weaknesses like that. I would have thought Niko taught you better." I took in a deep breath, letting Robin go on an on as consistent as the snip, snip of the scissors. Thick chunks of Dante's hair were dropping into the sink and I was beginning to fear Robin had a buzz cut in mind.

Dante didn't seem fazed at all, though he didn't really sit still. We had him perched on the side of the sink so the hanks of hair fell into the basin, but he kept turning around to grab the tuffs and tossed them in the direction of the toilet. Needless to say our premeditation of a clean task was null. Little trails of hair dusted all over the floor and toilet seat, very little actually made it to the bowl. "Or were you merely showing your paternal pride in the little scamp? Boasting that your son can turn Hercules onto his back."

"Keep it up and I'll tell him to turn you on your back," I grumbled. I knew my mistake when I made it. Even if Delilah had known Dante was my son (and at this point I was pretty damned certain he was, as impossible as that should have been) I shouldn't have confirmed. I shouldn't have showed that protectiveness since that was just another weakness to use against me.

Goodfellow rolled his green eyes and brushed his fingers through Dante's hair to free it of the loose clippings. He ducked and tilted his head to check out his work and smirked when Dante met his eyes straight on, no fear at all. "Did you show her, little man? Spit on her furry hide?"

He'd interrupted me before I could tell him about Dante's retaliation and/or act of defending me. So even I had to smile with sinful pride when I answered for my kid. "Actually he split her leather hide." I tickled his calf where he'd slashed the bitch. "Right here, with the cutest little Auphe claws in the world."

Robin paused in evening out the hair at the nape of his neck to peer over at me curiously. I continued smirking, knowing exactly how sadistic it probably looked. "Takes after mama in that way."

"Maa!" Dante chorus. That sobered me up quickly when he started craning his neck over my shoulder to see if she was coming in. I swallowed and brushed a few stray pieces off his cheek.

"No, Dante. Not here," I told him sadly. For the first time since he looked at me in my closest full of dirty clothes he stared with incomprehension. For the first time he truly didn't understand what I was saying. "I'm here, Ace," I assured him and touched my lips to his now visible forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."

I could feel Robin's eyes on me, but he had the courtesy to look away when I glared, resuming his task of trimming the hair of the squirmiest kid on the planet. "I don't know what you're so worried about."

"The Kin taking my son and making a buffet out of him before I can skin every last one of them? The Auphe tracking us down and turning him into a breeding stud or a portal sacrifice or worse?" And if there was a worse I knew for sure the Auphe could come up with it. "Yeah, no worries."

Robin leaned back to inspect his work again. Currently, it looked rather good; another skill set to add to Goodfellow's growing list. I was eating my sardonic words of disbelief again and again regarding him. He really was a jack of all trades, even if he wasn't a master in every level as he claimed to be. Dante's hair was now shorter at his nape and tousled to about two inches of its life the rest of the way around. A little too clean cut for my taste, but at least he didn't look like a sheepdog like I had in a similar style a few months back. His hair had a little wave to it, like his mother's. It gave the style a bit more body than my sharp-straight black hair.

"So pessimistic. It has to get tiring wallowing in self-pity as much as you do." I glared at him again, but he just gave me a wink and set the scissors down on the other side of the sink, away from Dante's idle hands. "I was referring to your insecurities in fatherhood. Whether you're getting it from the many, _many_mind-numbing reality shows and sitcoms you succumb to, or if it's instinct, or if it's just memories of your brother...you have nothing to be insecure about."

First Niko, now Goodfellow, man, I must have been looking like a dog who didn't realize the tennis ball was still behind its owner's back. "Thanks," I muttered. It didn't sound gracious, but the puck knew me better at this point. He knew I meant it and, as embarrassing as it was, I needed the support.

"Now," Goodfellow went on, letting the moment pass. "We just need some gel and—"

"Oh, hell no." I picked Dante up off the sink and pulled him away from Robin. "You are _not _putting that crap in my son's hair."

Robin's neck elongated as he straightened himself, affronted. "I supposed that means no to the Gucci suit I bought for him." I glared. "You can't seriously to wish subject the poor boy to your tragic fashion sense." I glared some more, clutching Dante to me. Robin frowned and crossed his arms. "Cassie would have let me dress him up." I walked out of the bathroom, information be damned. It was too early for jokes like that and usually I was the one making the premature, off-colored remarks. Goodfellow followed into my bedroom and called with a softer tone. "Cal, wait, I'm sorry."

Goodfellow apologized about as much as I did, and while I meant it at least half the time Robin, coming from a race of cons and tricksters was genuine in the words even less. Somehow, I still knew he meant it this time. He was using the humor as a means to get through the truth of it, I couldn't fault him for that. I'd been doing the same. He was in all black, that of itself said volumes on how he was dealing. Robin wasn't one of those flashy bastards that were stuck in the seventies with patterned shirts of cheap silk, but he still liked a varying palette of colors. He wasn't like Nik and I, who both had a wardrobe of black, black, dark gray, maybe a pair of blue jeans, and more black. But ever since I told him, or rather he deduced, that Castiella was dead, he'd been in black. He would probably proclaim it wasn't black, but 'sable' or 'midnight charcoal', but that didn't change the wardrobe's meaning. He was mourning, just like me.

I bounced Dante higher on my hip and turned to face him. "No suits, unless it's to my funeral."

One side of Robin's mouth curled. "Fine, but at least dress him in Gaultier or Scotch and Soda, the Goodwill tee shirt is making me nauseous." I paused then nodded amiably. I didn't even know what Scotch and Soda was, but it sounded gritty enough to be acceptable. And it was acceptable (because Robin wouldn't be the designer king without bringing in samples), though I didn't see much difference in those screen tees compared to the ones I'd always seen in Wal-mart. I was done arguing about it. If Goodfellow wanted to brand my kid, at least it wasn't in Ralph Lauren.

Robin left, finally, with promises of scouring his information network for hideouts and back alleys that the Lupa pack might frequent as well as for the ones less prominently known. Nik wasn't sure if Delilah would be confident enough to cage the Wenca child in an established building or if she would hide the kid away from the curious or reckless. I knew. The pint-sized smoke monster/shape-changing horse would be somewhere obvious. Delilah was just like that. She knew her pack could take on a Wendigo or anything else that rolled up on her territory and if they didn't or couldn't they deserved to 'hunt no more' as the wolves said. Whichever warehouse or sorority row home those estrogen-driven wenches lived in was the first door I was kicking down.

But for now, I waited.

Promise took her leave as well, something about a benefit she had to attend that evening. She kissed Nik goodbye and dotted another to both mine and Dante's crowns with a gentle, "Be good, boys," on her way out the door. She locked it behind her. Funny, she never came in with the key Niko had given her, but she always locked it on her way out. It spoke clearly. Polite and proper, but viciously protective of her loved ones. And there was no doubt in my mind Nik and I were her loved ones. I mean, Nik obviously trumped her own daughter, considering he had _killed_her and Promise was more upset that he pulled away from their relationship than she was for Cherish's lost life. Granted, Cherish had also tried to get us all killed for her own greedy devices, mama included.

I glanced down at Niko later that afternoon, who was on his back in the middle of the living room floor –didn't see him like that very often. Dante was lifted over his head, arms out, making plane noises, or car noises I wasn't sure there was much of a difference. I was on the couch. Taking a break from running around after my energizer bunny of a son. The television was on at low volume, but had been ignored for at least an hour now, even by me. I found it more entertaining to watch Niko play with his nephew, wondering to myself how much of what I was feeling was nostalgia.

"You need to knock up Promise," I commented with a smirk. "Get this out of your system quick."

Niko lowered Dante to his chest as he looked over at me. Trying to determine if I was serious or not. I wasn't sure myself, but the thought didn't make me want to scream that he was fucking out of his mind anymore. A vampire baby couldn't be that much worse than a half Auphe baby...I didn't think. And Nik really did deserve to be a father. _He_would be a good dad, why didn't fate decided to toss him a kid? "Would you have a mental breakdown if I said we had been discussing it before Dante even showed up?"

I leaned my head back in my chair, humming in consideration. "Before Dante, yeah. Now," I shrugged, "Can't make the situation any worse. Should I start planning a bachelor party?"

Niko snorted as I wiggled my eyebrows. "I think we should wait on that, which is what I told Promise. Wait and see. If we can adapt to Dante..." It was always something. If this, then maybe that. If we survive, maybe I'll finally live my life. I was going to argue with him. Tell him he needed to start thinking about his future, if he wanted a family with Promise he needed to go for it. If we knew anything it was that life was short and then you died. Sometimes you came back or sometimes it was all just a crazy hallucination, but sometimes...you didn't.

"Just do it before you need the little blue pill," I informed him. Dante remained curled up on Niko's chest, eyelids drooping. Good, maybe I could get a nap in too. I lifted off the couch and hauled him up from my brother's body, flipping him around in the air so he was properly situated against me. "I'm putting him down for a nap, and then I'm going to pass out with him. Wake me in a couple hours if he doesn't."

Nik didn't say anything as I walked down the hall, though I knew he was watching us. Maybe contemplating his relationship, maybe just thinking about our current situation. Whatever it was he didn't think it time to talk to me about it. When he did, he would. Then we would have to have that 'when I'm old and wrinkly and she's still fit and virile' conversation. I didn't look forward to that. I never looked forward to discussing my brother's mortality. He was human, I knew, and humans died, but I preferred to think of him as the Highlander. Nothing short of decapitation would bring down Niko Leandros. Yup, that was exactly how it was. And on that note I went to sleep, Dante nestled under one arm.


	8. Chapter 8 Catcher

**Chapter Eight**

**Catcher**

Day four and none of us were dead. In all consideration I figured that an accomplishment. It put me in a sunny disposition as I stretched from my bed and took in the light of the balcony curtain pulled back. It was a subtle light, since the sun wasn't as bright and bushy-tailed as I was yet. The bedside clock said 5:05 am and Cassie's shadow beyond the drapes said another sleepless night. I frowned and dropped my arms in my lap.

Day four and there were several things I was certain of today: Melee was going to make six pounds of bacon and call it lunch, the boys would break something in the rental house as they did daily, Mia did_ not _sleep in her own bed last night (whoo-hoo, finally), and my new roomie wasn't homicidal by any one's standards. She also cleaned up nice, was playful and smart in the company of others, and when alone she stared out into the distance like a woman lost at sea. Like she did now.

I never heard her when she got up in the middle of the night. Even with a fading limp she was graceful enough to be silent to a wolf's ears, but not his scent. It was always just a little shift of flavor, but it usually woke me from my sleep. That deep bark and flower scent would sharpen as she passed my bed, then intermingle with the ocean smells as she tip-toed onto the deck. How strange that she could smell so good while Caliban smelled like murder and blood. It had to have been the peri in her masking the shadows.

It'd gotten to the point that I was sleeping through her routine, leaving her to her alone time. I contemplated doing the same now, ducking into the shower and pretending I didn't notice her curled over the railing, crying. Shit, she was crying. I couldn't smell the saline tears in the salty wet air, but I could smell her tortured sadness. I tossed the sheets off my legs; well, that decided that. I would leave her alone with her thoughts, but not with her tears.

I stepped out onto the balcony slowly. Letting her catch my presence, or hear my footsteps. I could see her wiping at her eyes and take in a deep breath. "Morning."

"Morning," I echoed and stepped up beside her at the railing. Her eyes weren't as puffy as I expected, considering the intensity of her sorrow. Of course, being as old as she was she probably had great practice holding things like tears in. She even managed to offer me an almost convincing smile. I shook my head and tapped a finger to her button nose. "Don't fake it. It's insulting."

The smiled dropped and she pressed her full lips together. "I'm fine." It wasn't an outright lie, but certainly an exaggeration.

"I know I'm something of a stranger, but you can still talk to me. I'm a good listener." We'd had a few nights to do so. Lying awake in bed with sleep eluding us. I'd told her about me and Raff. How we grew up together, side by side until grad school. I even told her how I got sick with Leukemia and my cousin saved me. I left out the part about me going wolf when Rafferty tinkered a little too close to my DNA and how we couldn't get me back to two legs. I left that out because I didn't think Rafferty would be pleased if I shared the very information the Kin was seeking to someone we'd only met on Monday. I didn't think Cassie would spill it, but it spared her nonetheless. Plausible deniability.

I knew she did the same. Because she never told me about her formative years, revealing only the entertaining ones about her and her best friend taking Greece, Rome, Africa, pretty much everywhere, by storm. It fascinated me all the same. History and culture combined with mayhem; I was jealous.

I'd heard stories in my travels in the Amazon. I was there to save the rain forest and the ozone and I ended up with enough supernatural gossip to write a textbook or two. That was, if the world of the written word wasn't run by humans who didn't know the difference between a manatee and a mermaid. Here's a hint, stay away from the water if it sings to you. I loved learning all the shit the world had to offer from the loose lipped in South America as much as I did from Cassie. Cultural differences to species histories they were all interesting –the human wars were kinda boring, but the feuds between the Evati and the Koskavik werewolves, and the fabled wars between the Auphe and the peris were surprisingly entertaining. And among them were tales of the Harbinger.

I first heard about the Harbinger's mythology in Venezuela. I turned a near tussle between my traveling companions and some local werewolves into drinks at the local 'bar' with a few surviving Evati. The old chaps could talk and I wished I hadn't drunk so much so I might remember more of it. I did remember the Harbinger though, since they told it like it was a warning or a legend to frighten their pups with. A creature with black claws, blood red eyes and wings spanning twenty feet wide. She was like a Valkyrie of the less accurate Norse lore. She came down upon them like a plague, murdering their blood and kin without reserve or reason.

Unfortunately, the Ina peri clan in the Guyana had a similar tale of a peri hatchling born Auphe that turned the moon red with the blood of the great Brakques army. And then there was Cassie: a half Auphe, half peri that had a contagious laugh and a knack for getting Hunter and Chase to pass out after story time. But I couldn't deny the suspicion. That I was standing before one of the most feared creatures, aside from the Auphe themselves. I never asked and she never mentioned. Every time I touched on something deeper than fleeting moments of fun and fancy of her life she steeled over. The only utterly personal thing I got out of her was when I asked her what her biggest regret was. Her answer? Leaving the love of her life. Tired and cliché, but when she said it I knew she genuinely meant it. Of all the death and destruction she might have faced, all she wished to change was losing love. Yeah, she was a stone cold killer all right...

Cassie literally took that long to respond to my comment. I stood silent beside her in the chilled morning air, thinking about all the funny stories we'd shared last night and the night before while she mulled over telling me something more significant, then. "Thanks, Catch, but I'm fine."

"Liar," I countered. "And 'Catch'?" She wrinkled her nose and ducked her head a little in apology. I just chuckled. "No, it's fine, just wasn't aware we were at the nickname stage. Does that me I can call you Cas?"

"No," she answered quickly and with enough force that I knew the reason was more than her just disliking it.

"How about cherub?" Seemed to fit; part 'angel descendant', round faced and cute as a button. Hardly the image painted from my storytelling travels.

"Just call me Cassie. That's a nickname anyway."

"What's your real name then?"

"Castiella."

I tilted my head. The Ina clan's stories weaved through my head. I remembered theirs in greater detail since alcohol didn't play as large a part. "As in Castiella of the Cheris clan?"

Her mahogany eyes widened just the slightest bit as a tell and then averted briefly. "No, just Castiella. I have no clan." By the Cheris clan's definition, I was sure. Peris were a proud race and pretty much the supernatural party poopers. They liked things orderly and just. The friends I made in the Ina clan constantly tried to force their views on sex and sins (or the severe lacking there of) down my throat. And Lord, I could only imagine what Robin Goodfellow and his peri boyfriend had to put up with regarding those moralistic differences.

"Right, my mistake." I let it go, for now. Whatever she had done in the past I had to assume had merit or at least some justification, survival most likely. The Ina clan didn't speak of Castiella, Harbinger, of the Cheris clan with pride. She was several steps lower than a flea on an Untouchable to them, considering she had slaughtered three clans by herself. To me, that just meant the Kin were in for a damn good smack down if they managed to find Rafferty out here. And hell, she had nothing to be ashamed of; who didn't do some crazy shit in the past? Being part Auphe, being touched by them, it was no wonder she had a moment or two of crazy. "Just let me know. You know, when you're ready to stop being so dramatic about being the Harbinger."

Cassie looked over at me. I laid the sarcasm on real thick so there was no way she would think me serious, especially since I was grinning at her. She let of a small laugh that was more a sigh and leaned her weight on her folded arms over the railing. "What gave me away?"

"The fact that I know some peri in the Ina Clan and the fact that I doubt there are many Auphe/peris out there."

"No others as far as I know," Cassie agreed. "I don't mean to be cryptic. There's just a lot of things...I just don't want to relive. Slaughtering three peri clans on nothing more than a whim and the convoluted notion that the Auphe were my family and I should obey them is one of those things."

I startled at that. So the Ina weren't lying. It really wasn't merited or justified. She was just misled by the first evil of the universe, which was still a fair reason. I touched my hand to her crown in comfort and knocked the bridge of my nose to her temple. "Noted, but again, if you want to talk..."

"I get it," Cassie giggled, nudging me back and turning from the railing. "_If_I want to talk. I'll coming running right to you."

She slipped into our room and was already in the bathroom by the time I got my legs to follow to the threshold of the balcony. The Harbinger, Raff saved the Harbinger. That is one life debt that I was so goddamn pleased to have. Not that I was the manipulative type, but shit, she decimated the Evati she could easily send the Kin scattering and pissing themselves in fear.

I didn't tell Rafferty, figured it would come to light when needed, if ever needed. Though I did give him a lascivious grin when he slid open the balcony door next to mine and walked out of his room. He scowled at me in his usual asinine way, proving that -as he had said- getting laid didn't change his ass-holiness at all. That didn't stop me from teasing. "Morning, cuz. Good night?"

"Keep it up and I'll make you watch the kids today."

That didn't help his case at all. I chuckled and winked at Mia as she stood in the balcony threshold in nothing but Raff's tee shirt, then I ducked into my room before my cousin could make a swipe at me. He was true to his threat, shoving Hunter and Chase on me while he and Mia went out on errands. Lovett and Meele abandoned me for grocery shopping, but at least Cassie stayed close by. I was better for it, since she was pretty good with them. We made sandcastles on the beach, then destroyed them. We had lunch that consisted of mac and cheese and grapes; there was a reason they went out for groceries. And I watched a little television while the boys (and Cassie) napped.

By evening, I was cooking dinner on the grill at the top terrace; despite the fact that I'd eat almost anything my cooking didn't follow the same lines. I was excellent from what our new pack told me; glad to know I hadn't lost my culinary expertise after so many years stuck in paws. Today was barbecue ribs and grilled vegetables. Only I marinated the ribs in my special curry pineapple sauce, which reeled in the pack to the grill nostrils flaring and salivating.

I grinned wide when I saw Mia and Rafferty coming through the sliding glass door without the children in tow. Craning my neck, I could see they were down at the beach again, this time dodging and weaving Melee in play as Cassie stood by near the surf. It was a nice picture, because leaving her with the kids, even with me around, meant Mia really trusted Cassie and Rafferty trusted her too. Just to trust her enough to leave any of us alone with her was amazing and then with the pups...

I was glad. I liked her. She had a calm tranquility about her with a snarky, no hold barred wit, and a dash of unabashed flirtation sprinkled in. Her gaze flickered up to me, obviously feeling my stare and I waved for her and the rest of the gang to head up.

"Don't get too attached, we're not keeping her," Rafferty teased in his gruff way as he sidled up beside me to sniff the food experimentally. "You're overcooking it."

"I am not," I argued and elbowed him away from the grill, snapping the thongs in his face. "I am a master of the grill; ask any of the fraternity boys from college. If you remember correctly my barbecue parties were infamous." Rafferty retreated to one of the Adirondack chairs that were place sporadically around every level of the beach house terraces. We'd shoved together all the mini tables and lined them with the benches we found down by the pool. Lovett was already at his seat, munching on potato chips; even for a wolf the guy had the metabolism of a cheetah on speed.

"What do you mean we aren't keeping her?" I asked warily. I knew it was a joke, but Raff normally didn't say something just to speak, he had a reason. Always.

"She's not going to stick around after she's healed. She has something pulling at her. Something she needs to do," Rafferty explained. "Or something like that." They were such mystic and clichéd words, but he said them with a flat tone and his hands interlocked casually over his stomach, which somehow made it more believable. And clairvoyance wasn't in his extensive list of abilities, so he had to have gotten that from sheer observation.

I flipped one set of ribs, mulling this over. I was always the more the merrier type. If someone added something to the group, anything, I wanted them around. Plus she was funny, smart, and darn cute...and yeah, so I was still rutting like a buck in spring after being figuratively neutered by my cousin's constant vigil over me and my four-legged condition over the past half a decade. I also seemed to like the dangerous ones, the wild cards. The ones were you didn't know if they were going to eat you alive in bed or attempt to in a more literal fashion. And Cassie was an enigma. A half peri, half Auphe was a hard thing to come by.

I glanced up when she hobbled up the porch steps to the top level balcony holding Hunter's hand as he courteously helped her up the stairs. Or tried to at least.

"Hey, Cassie!" I called. "May not be a cheese steak, but I have some ribs with your name on them."

Chase, aptly named, bolted up the stairs between his brother and new friend and Cassie didn't even flinch. She was already used to the pups' off the wall antics. Chase circled at the landing with his tail wagging, waiting for her follow. Their father had been Kin and bred with lower bloods, which meant strange deformities like Melee's legs and vocal cords. These two had the cutest mutations known to man. Their ears were pointed and fuzzy to either side of their head, human placement with human cartilage but the fuzz was all wolf. They both had tails, stubby things by comparison to a wolf tail, but still like adorable puffs of a rabbit tail. They're eyes were the amber of a wolf, ringed with black around them. Mia was 'too human' by her packs standards even if she could transform from human to wolf without anything to give away she was one or the other. Kinda like me and Raff. We were both a little on the scruffy side, but other than that we could pass for human with ease. And that was the problem; we acted more like humans than we did wolves.

"Thanks, Catch," Cassie said and limped up beside me. I couldn't stop my eyes from roving. She'd been borrowing Melee's sundresses and cinching them with belts, since the young wolf was a little healthier than Cassie's toothpick frame. She still looked good with her long hair, which encompassed nearly every shade of autumn save for the greens, in a side braid trailing over one breast. She just needed to run and eat with us for a few months and we would have her nice and toned. I knew running from the Auphe didn't provide good eating habits. "Need help?"

I shook my head, both in reply and to shake off the distraction my hormones led me down.

"Catcher," Lovett whined, head propped up with one hand and brown eyes hooded in irritation. "I'm dying here. Is it almost ready?" I jumped and quickly started pulling the ribs off the grill before I really did overcook them.

The table was a clatter of noise when we started digging in. Chase and Hunter regaling Cassie with their adventure with the sand crabs last night in great detail, while Mia and Rafferty discussed other matters softly down near Lovett. I tried to split my attention between the two, but eventually because bored with the pups and tuned in to my cousin's conversation.

"It seems to be secluded enough to remain. The house is certainly large enough," Mia was saying. I gathered they were talking about our current situation. I knew the rental was up on Saturday and we were running low on funds. We certainly had enough to continue for another few weeks, but soon a few of us would have to venture out for jobs. I liked the beach house well enough, but missed Yellowstone and its vast forests greatly.

"I don't think Catcher and I should stay in one location too long, but I certainly won't fault you and the others—" Raff stopped mid-sentence when Mia threw a potato chip at him, hitting him in the chest. It was a tired phrase, we all knew. Rafferty constantly implying that he and I should go on without the rest of the pack. He did it because he feared for their safety, but they were bonded to him now whether he liked it or not. I tried to contain my smirk, but knew it was poorly hidden.

"I vote for a road trip," I claimed. "Drive until we run out of gas and shack up in some motel fit for a slasher movie."

"You would," Lovett snorted, "but I do agree on the leaving part. These puny woodland areas have me itching for a real forest. We should go to Virginia."

"What do you think, Cassie?" I asked, startling her. The pups had finally ceased talking now that they were shoveling food into their mouths, so I knew she was at least half aware of our conversation. She straightened her back, looking between Rafferty and I like a scared doe.

"Well," she paused and put down her ribs. I was glad to see she was eating her hardy share. "I thank you all of everything, but..."

I frowned as she trailed off. "Wow, that sounded like goodbye."

"I don't mean to be ungrateful," she cast her eyes on Rafferty, wiping her hands on a napkin idly. "You saved my life, but the dangers of my life are not your burden. The Auphe were after me for a reason. I had something they wanted. So I sent it away, somewhere safe. I thought I was dying, I was...but I have to go get it back, before they find it."

The little picnic lulled to silence and all eyes were fixed on her. Cassie pushed her plate back and stood from the table with her head hung. "I'm sorry, I know that isn't an adequate explanation, but...excuse me."

"Cassie," I called, rising.

"Catcher," Rafferty admonished, forcing me to pause unconsciously. I watched her descend the stairs toward the lower porches, glaring at my cousin once she was out of sight. "Leave her be."

"Why?" I snapped. "What do you know? What do you know that you aren't saying? The poor thing is lost and alone, I don't want her to feel that way when she doesn't have to."

"She has a child," Rafferty answered with unpracticed calm. Okay, so that brought me to sit back down, rather hard too. "I noticed when healing her. I thought she might have lost it, but now I believe that child is the 'it' she needs to find. And I'm not going to stop her. The things the Auphe would do to that child if they got to it before she did...I wouldn't want to witness that for the life of me."

She asked if she was alone. When she first woke up, she asked me if she was alone and I'd thought she meant the Auphe. Maybe she did, because there was some relief when I said they weren't there, but she probably asked in hope that her child had managed to disappear as well. I knew Rafferty was implying, again, that my interest in her was moot, but where was the father...was the father even human? And how the hell did she even manage to have a kid when a peri/Auphe mix shouldn't really have the biological capability? I studied biology in college, it was my freakin' masters and I studied biology of humans, common animals, and the various 'other' column of species. I _knew_the reproductive difficulties there, even if I didn't know the Auphes' means of reproducing very clearly. There weren't many texts covering evil incarnate in detail.

I ignored my cousin, and left my seat. Someone else could clean up. I was attracted to her, sure, maybe only because she was exciting and new, but I wasn't following her because of that. I was following her because no one should be alone in the lost of a child. Either by death or any cause. Her bouts of daydreaming silence, suddenly made a lot more sense. Not to mention if she was facing the Auphe for as long as I saw in her eyes, then she was so used to being alone that insanity probably wasn't too far a neighbor and there was no way I was letting another half Auphe take that exit when they were on the right road already.

Rafferty and I grew up in a family setting as few of our friends did. Loving parents, loving uncles and aunts. Warm holiday meals and annual hunting trips; not the human kind with bags of deer piss and camouflage, but a bonding experience none the less. It was an environment that made me pity those who didn't have it, made me grateful I did, and made me want to share the experience anyway I could. Live with abandon, love as much as physically possible and more. It was hard for those who had to constantly gaze over their shoulder in fear to understand this concept and even more difficult for them to embrace it, even a fraction of it.

I found Cassie on the beach. Not too far down from the beach house, sitting in the sand so close to the water that it lapped at her feet. I flopped down beside her and leaned back on my arms. She didn't move away, but didn't really glance toward me either. So I let the waves talk to us for a little while, appreciating both the scenery of the sailboat skimming a mile out as well as the two bikini-clad girls attempting to boogie board.

"You haven't gotten laid in a while, have you?" Cassie asked, breaking the silence.

I smirked at the brazen comment. "You offering?" Cassie laughed, but I could see a little blush forming on her cheeks, either that or the sun was getting to her pale skin. "Come on," I motioned to the human girls. "You can't blame me. It's both arousing and entertaining."

On cue one of the girls fell off her board face first in the water, as an added bonus she nearly lost her top. Cassie shook her head, smiling, but didn't comment. I nudged her shoulder. "So back to the 'you offering' question."

"No, I'm not offering," she replied. It was a warm tone and she still grinned, but it was her final answer, I could tell that much. I sighed, well, it would have been fun as hell, but I wasn't going to press my luck with a creature that could literally disembowel me before I could give her a wink.

"I like kids, you know," I teased. Just because I accepted that we weren't going to be sharing a bed that night didn't mean I was going to stop having my fun. "I've been told I would make an excellent step-dad."

Cassie eyed me, that sultry little upturn of her mouth increasing just slightly. "Rafferty told you?" I nodded. She didn't question how he knew. I assumed it was because he'd been healing her for the last few days. One can learn a lot about a person from their insides, including when a womb had recently been stretched to carry another life. "Dante," she told me. "His name is Dante. And he's really a sweet thing. A little destructive, but who could blame him, considering his lineage. I had this toy for him. One of those boxes with cut outs. You know, star for a star block, circle for a circle?"

I nodded again, letting her talk. She had on this darling wistful smile that made my heart ache. It was beautiful and tragic, as was her scent. "Now, all the blocks were already chewed up from his teething, but when he started walking –his first steps actually– he just destroyed that box. Smashed it to pieces with his feet." Cassie laughed softly. "I'd been so happy to see him walking I didn't even have the heart to stop him when he picked up the blocks and chucked them in the toilet. How could I scold him? He was walking. And walking leads to running and he'll need to run."

I watched her eyes darken from light-hearted whimsy to remorse. Her voice did the same, deepening with tears that were forming in her throat. "I didn't know what to do. I'd been fighting to keep him from them for so long...I knew if I died they would..." She closed her eyes and bowed her head to her arms folded over her knees. "I sent him to his father. It was the only place I thought he might still be protected. I hope he made it…I gated through the _claim_."

I ran my hand over her back to comfort. I was relieved to hear that she _sent_her son to the father. It meant the child wasn't conceived by the Auphe. I knew Castiella of the Cheris clan was conceived through rape, so I wouldn't put it past the malignant monsters to try the same on her. "I'm sure he's safe, Cassie. I'm sure what ever happened between you and his father, that man will protect his son by any means necessary."

"He didn't even know I was pregnant." Cassie finally looked over at me after her emotional confession; her eyes were wet. "He doesn't know Dante's his son."

I pressed my lips together. The wind shifted, pressing to our backs so I caught his scent before I noticed he was approaching. Cassie didn't even react to the shadow he cast over us. My cousin, ever the stoic voyeur. He didn't say anything, just walked in front of us with his feet in the water and his hands in the pockets of his shorts. Close enough to listen, but avoiding interrupting. I turned my attention back to Cassie. "You never told him?"

"I didn't even know until I was six months along in Tumulus. I should have known, but it wasn't supposed to be possible. Then I was running, because it was the Auphe that told me. They knew before I did. And then I had him and they were _always_there. It took everything to keep us a step ahead."

"I wasn't scolding you, Cassie," I assured her, tugging at the loose piece of blond hair near her nape. "I can only imagine what you've been through, no...I can't even claim that. But, listen, Dante's probably fine. I'm sure his father will protect him valiantly. Even if he doesn't know Dante's his son, he can't be the type to abandon a child –I just can't see you putting up with that."

"I know he'll protect him, that isn't," she closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm just a little nervous about seeing him again. In his eyes, I left him, I lied to him, and I abandoned my son. I don't blame him for hating me." She pressed her toes into the wet sand, the little bit of foam from the water, sticking to the tops of her feet and proving that as pale as she was she could be paler. "I knew I was alone in this."

"Not anymore," I told her. I caught her eyes and held them. "We are a pack of outcasts and lost pups, we have room in the car for a crazy halfbreed."

The fact that Rafferty wasn't stopping me –wasn't glancing back in warning, or glaring, or clearing his throat, or smacking me upside the head– meant that he agreed. Or at least he was letting me do what I wanted. "We're leaving anyway. Let us take you where you need to go. I'll walk right up to him with you and if he's an asshole I'll break his arm with my teeth."

Cassie snickered, a faint sound. "I can't ask you to do that. The Kin are much too centralized in New York City. It's a risk for you and your cousin." So she finally deduced it was Rafferty and I on the run from the Kin and not the whole pack. Or maybe she just never said anything until now.

"Then we'll drop you off," Rafferty chimed in. He looked over his shoulder, all arched back and regal looking despite the overgrown ginger scruff on his jaw. "There are some friends in New York we've been meaning to visit anyway."

I grinned and nudged my shoulder to Cassie's again, prospective excitement bubbling at just the thought of introducing her to Niko and Cal. And that half Auphe brat thought he was so special. "Oh man, the Leandros brothers are going to be floored meeting you."

Her smile dropped. "I'm sorry, what?"

I rewound my statement in my head at her breathy exclamation, but could only figure she was insulted by the implication that I was showing off her linage in a derogatory way. "I didn't mean—"

"Holy shit," she said rather forcefully and stood up. She lost balance in the sand a little, catching my extended hand to steady herself as she kept on with a flabbergasted laugh. "I can't believe it." She looked to Rafferty, back down the me, then up to my cousin again. "I never believed in fate, until this moment."

I pushed up onto my feet, making sure to keep hold of her arm to assure she wouldn't fall due to either her leg or shock. "What's going on, Cassie?"

"Caliban," she said to me. "Caliban is the father of my son."

I stared, my turn to be shocked. Rafferty let off a short snort and shook his head, muttering something about 'should've guessed'. Well, I didn't guess. I wouldn't in a million years guess. "Caliban...is the father." She nodded, a little more meekly this time. "Why does he always get the hot ones?"

She blinked in confusion, having no way of knowing that I'd been after Cal's previous fuck buddy while we were on the road trip from hell. What could I say? White wolf, adorable angel; Cal had good tastes. Something seemed to click in Cassie's head and she gave me a pitying sneer. "Oh, Catcher, no. Delilah?" she asked with disdain.

Somehow I wasn't surprised she knew the Kin female. I shrugged. "I have a thing for white fur and you have to admit she's hot."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "And a homicidal bitch."

"Apparently that's my type."

Full mouth parting in insult, Cassie smacked my arm in good humor. "Asshole."

I slung my arm around her shoulders, partially to help her through the sand on her bad leg and also because she smelled fucking good. Barely a trace of Auphe; I really liked that that nature-laden floral smell most peris had. "Come on, you can help us pack up." Because I knew Rafferty would have us leaving tomorrow. He'd made up his mind. We were helping Cassie. And the fact that our little Cal was her baby daddy cinched it. Damn, when the Leandros brothers got into trouble, they really fucked things up.

"So Caliban's a dad..."

"I know, scary right? Thank God Niko's there."

I laughed, but honestly it was true. And I was glad I didn't lie to her. Her son would be safe. No doubt in my mind about that now. "So…how exactly are you even able to have kids?"


	9. Chapter 9 Cal

**Chapter Nine **

**Cal****  
**  
It was one of those moments in life where I knew exactly what the person had just said, but my brain just couldn't wrap around the belief that the words came out of their mouth. It happened often enough around Goodfellow, because everything out of his mouth was either hot-air or shocking or shocking hot-air. I'd become accustom to those blips of information or too-much-information; they didn't have me instinctively curb the impulse to punch him and/or walk away from him like they used to.

But this just had me floored. I stared at the two of them, leaned against the counter between the kitchen and the living area for support. Beside me I knew Nik had on the same expression of disbelief only more subtle. "I'm sorry, what?"

Promise had Dante in her arms, his chubby legs to either side of her hip. He seemed comfortable enough now that she'd been spending so much time at the apartment. And with his pale skin and hair matching the rich chocolate of her blond striped braid he looked rather natural there. Next to her, was Goodfellow, with a jutted chin and a straightened back; a united front for the first time out of battle. She said nothing, but he -per usual- had plenty to say.

"I apologize I didn't realize you'd rotted through enough brain cells for plain English to be incomprehensible." He enunciated every next word with slow, cocky, relish. "We will watch the kid." He turned to Promise, taking little Dante's hand and shaking it back and forth playfully. "He's due to be graced by the presence of beauty and unfathomable magnificence. So go, be the reckless, gun-blazing, blade-swiping, duo you are so prone to being. Get the job done and come back to your happy family. If you're lucky some of my majesty might rub off on him before you return, though it is highly unlikely as it is something one really needs to be born with and," he raked his green eyes over me. "Well, he doesn't have much to work with."

Insults aside I was still reeling at the first suggestion. Promise and Robin were offering to babysit...together. It was inconceivable. "I...really?"

"This job means more to you both now," Promise said with her usual lilting grace. "And I assure you, Robin and I will see to Dante's safety as you complete it. Although, I do ask for you to make haste." Her lavender eyes flickered over to the puck; clearly she didn't have as much confidence in her tolerance of his self-proclaimed magnitude. "There seemed to be no other way to accomplish this mission without separating the two of you and while I feel confident in aiding whomever steps into the fray, as I'm sure Robin is, we understand the bond you share both in battle and life."

Meaning Nik and I refused to go into a fight without the other, which was true. I glanced over at my brother, still unsure about this. I was certain our apartment and friends would be mostly in one piece if we left them alone, but my fear was leaving Dante. I'd seen both Promise and Goodfellow midst a fight; they were amazing, far better and more experienced than me, but he was my son...my responsibility. Niko sighed though his long nose and met my gaze. "Well, we know where to go. I'm sure if we hit the nest now the majority of the pack will be out playing."

It was nearing three in the morning. Goodfellow and Promise had called and arrived at the apartment at nearly the same time on both accounts, and with the same information. The Lupa pack was holed up in a converted warehouse, much like our own, in Brooklyn. There were even whispers of their hostage being there. I debated for another moment. Almost asked Nik to go with the other two while I stayed with Dante, but then I remembered the few times we did split up. Niko had been kidnapped too once, sliced up like a Thanksgiving turkey and strung up like a human sacrifice of mistletoe for a crazy puck named Hob. I'd almost lost him then and I couldn't let it happen again.

"Fine, let's make this quick."

It took Nik fourteen minutes to arm himself with the same number of bladed weaponry, while I shoved as many clips as I could in the liner of my jacket. I strapped my favorite ka-bar to my hip and my Glock went to the small of my back. The Desert Eagle holstered under my arm. I was tempted to fasten the Colt Robin had presented me with after our escape from the Vigil to my ankle, but the weight would have been ridiculous and the .38 would do the trick if I aimed for one of their beady yellow eyes.

It was the usual routine for going out hunting, only it changed drastically when we made for the door. I'd never really paused to say goodbye before. Never kissed anyone on the cheek or ruffled anyone's hair, or patted a shoulder in departure. But I did all three to Promise, Dante, and Robin –in that order. Nik murmured a thank you and we were off with the warning of "be careful" following us out the door. It was just surreal. It was also I damned trap.

There were wolves there, no mistake, but they were kamikazes. Not that they expected to be; they probably though that they were bad-ass enough to take out one sheep and half-sheep, but then they never met the Leandros brothers. Nik and I sliced and shot through them with ease –there were only three of them– and proceeded to ransack the warehouse looking for the child. I panted as I jogged down the upper catwalk. I didn't care if I made noise; the battle with the she-bitches had been all hair-flying and snarls anyway. It also left plenty of time for a fast werewolf to collect her hostage and flee.

I kicked in the last door along the catwalk, revealing another dusty storage room picked clean by homeless scavengers. I coughed at the dust that crept out of it like a cloud. Fuck me, it didn't even smell like wolf in here. Not one room was fashioned for living or even just sleeping. This was a set up. I spun and leaned to the rickety railing to call down to Niko. "Nik!"

"I know, lets go!" he shouted back. He was already at the front door. I flipped over the railing, hanging from my arm just low enough that I didn't break my legs dropping to the first level. I wasn't wasting time with the stairs. This was a set up, but there was no ambush. There were no strategically placed bombs or hired muscle. Okay, scratch that, there wasn't sufficiently hired muscle.

When we ducked out the door there were a dozen revenants waiting for us, but that was more an insult than a threat. They were the equivalent of a Romero zombie, only they weren't dead –not yet at least. The monster community like to use them for dirty work; they weren't the smartest, weren't the most charming, but they were nasty as hell and you could pay them in rotting body parts. Toss in a live one for a Christmas bonus.

Niko led the way, katana slicing off arm, knee, head as he went. I knocked a couple of shots into a few skulls; it was the only way to kill the bastards. They could regenerate pretty much anything you shucked off. Six down and six to go, Nik grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me to face him. "Gate."

I stared, shot a revenant without his lower half crawling towards us without looking, and grabbed his arm with the other. "No." Niko pulled back. He swung around with a graceful arch of his blade, decapitated two more skin-slogging tools. "Go, you take me it'll be too taxing."

"Nik—"

"Go!" He shot me a stern glare. I knew the significance here. Niko hated my traveling; hated what it did to me, hated what it could do to me. He never condoned it once he saw what I did on our way to stop Suloyak. But he knew; he knew as well as I did. This was a distraction. Delilah led us here. She let the information leak to Promise and Goodfellow and she led us right here. So she could get to Dante.

With a parting shot to the last lumbering revenants head, I traveled. Even if more came, my brother would be fine. He could handle anything. He was Highlander, ninja, assassin, and any bastard on the dark side's worst nightmare. I let my spent clip drop to my bedroom floor, not caring that there was a bullet or two left in there. I shoved the next in and pulled out my Glock with my free hand. Ignoring the splice of pain that careened through my head and the fluttering pattern of my heart in strain from traveling with the inhibitor in my brain, I ran out of my room and into the apartment.

"Promise! Robin!" Busting into the main living room, guns up and at the ready, I scoured over the already dead bodies of two female werewolves. Blood on the floor again. Crossbow bolts stuck out of both their hides, while one of them had several blade slices dissecting her fur covered body. They weren't the females with Delilah yesterday; both of these were caught between wolf and human as an inbreeding experiment gone wrong.

I cursed and bolted through the open front door. Robin's car, which was parked illegally out front when Nik and I had left, was gone. I had to rest assured that they got into it and drove like a bat outta hell. Wolves were fast, cutting through alleys and bounding over rooftops they could outrun a car, but only if it was stuck in New York traffic. It may be the city that never sleeps, but it did take a nap around this time. Less cars, more cops, but I had faith in Robin's driving skills. And I knew he had the balls to run over a few over-sized dogs along the way.

That was until I got four blocks down from the apartment and saw smoke billowing from the hood of a jeep on its side and wrapped around a street light. The globe of the light was bent over and touching the crunched front of Robin's red Buick. The doors to the jeep were flung open on the exposed side and the canvas covering all but shredded at the back. A brief glance inside, I could see two bodies, one furry, the other humanoid and both were still.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I skidded to a halt at the side of Goodfellow's car, slamming into it with the force I was running. The car was empty, every window cracked or shattered. The seats were covered with the glass and many pieces glittered red in the flickering lamp light. Blood cascaded down the front seat like a shining waterfall on the leather. A shoulder wound and considering the amount of blood and the claw marks at the curve of the headrest, I suspected the wolf had dove onto the hood, punched through the windshield and proceeded to try and drive her claws through Robin's chest.

On the plus side it left a blood trail. I could smell him clearly in the air; the sharp mineral scent of tangy rust and lush forests. I was going to kill her. I was going to kill her and I was going to take my fucking time. I had to slow down when the scent faded –shit, missed a turn– I doubled back, careening off the mouth of the alley way.

There was a huddled form at the end. Someone crouched over an animal with a long blade buried deep. The spindly legs of the creature, twitched pathetically but the sounds coming from its mouth were hardly meek. Robin was panting, blood dripping down his arm as he struggled to keep the wolf pinned. "Tell me, _eseis chydaia skylos! MILOUN!_"

"Robin!" I dropped to one knee as I reached him. His green eyes, glinting with the most vicious light, peered up at me without recognition for a moment. He was a mess. Blood caked the side of his head, brown curls plastered to his forehead. The red smeared a path down to his chin and there was a heavy chunk of flesh taken out of his shoulder. His blade arm was shaking with adrenaline and blood loss.

"Cal...fuck, Cal, I'm sorry."

"Not the time," I snapped. I snagged the blade from his hand, wrenched it out of the wolf on the ground, then replanted it somewhere in the vicinity of a lung. At first, I though him crazy for demanding the werewolf talk to him (in wolf form they couldn't do much more than snarl and snort) but then I noticed the length of her front paws, how the pads were elongated to an almost human length. Her muzzle was short like the make up for a Cats Broadway reject and her eyes were human. I was banking on human vocal cords too as I leaned in bearing my teeth right back at her. "Where is she? Where's Delilah?"

There was a garbled sound as blood filled the bitch's lung, but she replied; in words that was so thick with a feral growl that I barely understood them for the English curses they were. I got the gist though. I raked the sword a few inches up. Her back paws shook they were so tense, toes spread in pain. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Foul, disgust, Auphe."

"Yup, that's me. Now tell me where my son is you fucking flea-ridden dog. Before I have my friend here skin you alive to make his next pair of fur chaps." It was a bluff, although Robin was fully capable of such a violet act if he so desired, he was currently leaned against the alley wall breathing heavy. I wrestled my phone out of my pocket and tossed it to him. "Call your boyfriend."

Robin fumbled with it, but did as he was told. Ishiah could get Robin back on his feet. The puck was a big boy and I wouldn't be much help to him anyway. I turned back to the wolf, smiling widely, fiercely. "Or I could just do it." I holstered the Eagle –the Glock already back in my waistline when I saw Robin. The female's blue eyes widened when I pulled out the black matte knife. I didn't know if it was for the weapon or the sadistic look on my face. Then she went for my face. I shoved the serrated knife into her skull on instinct, regretting it for only a moment since she wouldn't be telling me jack now.

"Shit," I braced my foot to her jaw and yanked back to reclaim my weapon. "Where's Promise?"

Goodfellow motioned with my cell phone to the three story wall at the end of the alley. He didn't have to say any more. I'd seen the vampire cling to a wall like a freakin' spider, I had no doubt she could climb up one as well, even with a small child on her back. Delilah would have been hot on her heels, but Promise would be faster. "Ishiah on his way?" The puck nodded. He looked weary, but I could tell the majority of emotion on his handsome face was guilt.

"Cal, I—" I covered his mouth, glaring.

"_Not_now." I took my cell from his palm and started for the opening of the alley; there was no way I could scale a three story wall. "Tell Nik to track my phone!" He probably though I was mad at him, probably blamed himself for this, but the only one to blame was me. I should have known. I shouldn't have been stupid enough to believe it would be that easy to find their hideout. I shouldn't have been so cocky as to think me and Nik would be home before dawn, tucking Dante into his bed. I was so fucking stupid for leaving him! My son, I lost my son.

I took in a deep breath nose in the air. Wolf was clear in the wind, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Damn it."

"Lost little half sheep?"

I spun, Desert Eagle locked on her forehead and my back ridged. "You fucking bitch."

Delilah smiled, slanted eyes hooded, one hip cocked, and her arms cross under her breasts. She wore the leather pants from before, as if to remind me of what Dante had done, but the shirt she wore was thin, low cut, and obviously worn to entice or tease me. Wasn't working. "Looking for something?"

"I'm not playing, Delilah. You tell me where you took him right now."

"Or what? You shoot? How's your aim?" I decided to show instead of tell. I aimed for her upper chest, but she dodged quick enough that it only grazed her shoulder; hardly a wound that would slow her down, but the look of surprise that it actually touched her was satisfying. She wiped the smudge of blood, still grinning. "Protective father...rather sexy on you."

"Fuck you," I snarled. I took two purposeful steps toward her. "Tell me where my son is. Give him back to me right now."

"No fun," Delilah hummed. "Hide and seek, more interesting." She was a wolf in the next moment. All sleek lines and white fur. I repositioned the gun and let loose the bullets. She dodged and weaved as if I was lobbing tennis balls at her and pounced onto my chest. I felt her teeth clip my ear, tearing the thin flesh and cartilage. I buried the Eagle in her side and pulled the trigger on the last bullet in the chamber. I heard her yelp and she rolled off me, but she was still on her feet and I was out of bullets in that clip.

I pushed onto my knees, ripping a clip out of my jacket interior and slamming it home. Delilah was halfway down the street by then, prancing almost and flashing yellow eyes back over her blood stained shoulder with the epitome of a wolfish grin. Still on my knees I extended my arm and shot again and again and again. Then I was running. Racing after her. If she found me that meant her success, which made me fear for Promise. The vampire wouldn't let them have Dante, not if she was still breathing. I tried not to think too much about it; I was a better marksman when my mind was blank, or boiling in blind rage –I was pretty damned good then too.

Three shots running and two connected. Bet the bitch didn't expect that. She went down in a tumble of limbs. Unfortunately, both bullets didn't hit vitals so she was back on those thin legs almost instantly. I stopped firing and booked it down the sidewalk. Out running a werewolf, not the easiest fucking thing to do. Good thing I had a back up plan.

I traveled, right the fuck in front of her and fired again. It was a pained howl this time and she didn't get up as quickly. "Do. Not. Mess with me. My son, bring him to me." Delilah had been skilled enough to avoid a bullet to the brain, but blood still poured from her head, painting white fur crimson from ear to foaming mouth. "Now!"

She shook her head, more to clear the blood from her eyes and launched at me. I aimed for her head again, but with my own skull ringing from the second gate and my hands shaking from the same it didn't work out the way I planned. She shifted back to human and the blurred illusion of it tricked my eyes, letting the bullet fly uselessly passed her torso. She grabbed me by the throat, her other hand catching my wrist and smacking the gun and me bodily into the nearest object, which happened to be the wall of an abandoned building. She growled at me, deep and furious. Yeah, well I felt the same way, whore. "I do not answer to you, weak child."

She pinned me against the building, her vice grip preventing me from planting my gun between those bare breasts in emptying the gun into her heart. I contemplated a gate, but my own chest ached with the speed of my heart and my breath was becoming labored. I could feel blood trickling down my chin, taste it on my lips from my nose. My ears were probably bleeding too. Not that Delilah looked much prettier. Her white blond hair was soaked with red, the bullet to her head had made a nice ridge from her temple back and head's bled...a lot. The other two bullets had sailed through her torso and thigh. If we were playing on the same genetic playing field I would have won this, but she was a werewolf and not only could they take a shitload more than a half human, but they didn't fight fair.

Behind Delilah I could see six more females loping out from the close alleys, one or two bounding down from rooftops, and others slipping out from plain old shadows. I supposed they thought the fight was over; their Alpha had won and now it was chow time. This part of town people either ignored the screams or watched curiously from their windows. In this case, watching a pack of huge wolves tear apart a man with a gun, they would shutter the blinds and pretend it was just another mugging. Delilah smiled at me, it looked so much more twisted with the blood and gore covering half her face. "What? No more fight? No more gates?" She knew very well I couldn't gate again, not in the condition I was in. She knew what Rafferty did to me and it was a big mistake trusting her with that knowledge. I showed her my teeth, not fangs or razor sharp by any means, but I still had the full intention of tearing them into her throat. She seemed to realize this.

She moved faster than my eyes could follow, grabbing my nape and throwing me down toward the concrete sidewalk head first. I felt her knee to my upper arm as it went down, still holding my gun wrist. I heard the bone snap before I felt the pain blaze up my shoulder; a rare damn moment...me dropping my gun. My head met the pavement next. Black whirled over my vision like a bad sixties sitcom segue, but I fought unconsciousness.

"Pitiful father. Weak. You learn now, that Kin are your masters. We will not be looked down on. The Lupa pack, we will have you. My pet Auphe." She grabbed my hair and wrenched my head up. The skyline tilted violently in my sights, vertigo hitting for a moment. "If you want little bird to stay alive, you will bring your healer friend to me. He will aid the Kin. He will make All Wolf. If not I will give you back your son, piece by piece." I punched her, I'm not ashamed to say, right in her head wound. She cried out and the rest of the pack closed in.

I had one on my ankle, one at my shoulder near my neck and one trying to drag my broken arm in the opposite direction than the rest of my body. I screamed, again no shame. It fucking hurt. That didn't stop me from snatching the Glock from my back with my left hand and twisting my head to the side so I could shoot the bitch at my throat. My aim was true this time; not only did I miss my own neck by mere centimeters, but I nailed Lassie in the skull. She went down instantly, though her jaw was locked into my flesh in a now literal death grip. I curse and aimed down at the one on my ankle; I couldn't feel my arm much anymore, that side had gone numb, so the ankle was next.

Then I heard the strange distorted sound of wings. The scent of sandalwood among that of feral wolf, blood, and the generic street grime. A moment later I was free with decapitated and halves of wolves all around me. Some of them were shifting back to human already, which wouldn't help our case if any of the silent spectators decided to call the cops. Ishiah stood over me holding a broad sword that should by no means be swung with one hand as it had been seconds ago. There were only three of them –wolf carcasses– the rest skipping off with Delilah to torture me more at a later date. I was lifted off the ground and set on my feet by my good arm, but I shoved Ishiah I away and started off down the road in the direction of Delilah's scent. I heard the peri curse, but didn't stop to marvel at the novelty of it.

The road buckled within the first forced step like I was a champagne glass and some amateur magician was trying to pull the table cloth out from under me. I crash landed on my bad arm and cried out again. It shouldn't have been this bad. She knocked me around a little, but that didn't constitute be being unable to get stable legs under me or vomiting in the middle of the road. I coughed and hacked, having trouble getting air in between falling on my knees several times and vomiting again. Yeah, so I was concussed. Get the fuck up, Caliban! I needed to get to her. I needed to stop her.

"Cal!" Niko! Oh, thank god. He slid to his knees in front of me, despite the barf and rough clips of cracked sidewalk. Huh, did my head do that? I knocked my hand that wasn't useless and limp at my side, to his shoulder gun and all.

"Go!" I motioned in the direction they went.

"No, Cal—"

I pushed the gun into his shoulder, glaring. "Go." Niko clasped my head between his hand, staring into my eyes. Other than smelling like he'd been rolling in revenant shit for hours he didn't look much worse for the wearer. He could get Dante, I knew he could. "Please, go."

"They're gone, Cal, they have him, but we'll get him back. They won't kill him." Niko seemed so sure about that. Gullible bastard. "They won't kill him without you there to see." He amended and that I could see being true. He tilted his face down to look into my eyes. "You have a concussion."

"No shit." That's what happened when your head his thrown into concrete with a super human punch. "Promise...?"

"Still following them," he assured me. "They attacked on the roof. There were too many for her. They threw her off the building as a distraction and took Dante." I loved how being thrown off three or four stories was a distraction for a vamp and wolf. For Nik and I it was death. But that meant Promise was okay, hell she probably landed on her feet all dainty like a cat. The pack just wanted to separate the herd to get to the lamb. And they succeed...for now. "She'll keep us updated. She'll find where he is and I promise you I will get him back even if you can't."

"The fuck I can't."

"I'm kneeling in your vomit right now and you're bleeding from pretty much every orifice..."

"Let's hope not _every _orifice," Robin's voice teased in the usual puck fashion. I glanced up, which caused a bit of a psychedelic vision shift and not the good kind; not that I'd even know the good kind. Mommy dearest kept me and Nik off drugs and liquor if only because she couldn't get enough of them. Robin was leaned against his boyfriend, but stood on his own two feet. His humor, though in his voice, was nowhere on his face.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my good hand, eyes fixed on him. "Not your fault." It was all I said to him, but I saw a tiny bit of darkness lift from his eyes. Nik looped my arm around his shoulders and helped me on my shaky legs. I dropped my head to my own shoulder, nose to Niko's pulse. "I lost my son."

"He's not lost yet," Niko said sternly. "Just temporarily misplaced. We'll get him back." And we'd kill every Lupa for this. He didn't have to say it; I knew he was thinking it and he knew, even if he didn't agree, that was what I was going to do.

Not sure when exactly I passed out, but sufficed to say it was a good thing we weren't far from the apartment. I doubt any of them but Ishiah was up for carrying my dead weight. Dead weight...yeah, that about summed me up.

Forgive me, Cassie. I tried.


	10. Chapter 10 Cal

**CHAPTER TEN**

**CAL  
**

My brother loved me. He did. Like no other probably ever would. He sat up with me for three hours, mostly to keep me awake (I'd gotten a hard pinch when I'd passed out outside the apartment –no rest for the weary and concussed). He had me on the toilet seat of our bathroom, needle and thread in steady hands. I was shaking, trembling, but no one said a word about it.

Ishiah had patched Robin up in our kitchen and now the puck was leaned against the bathroom door, watching me more than Niko's skilled work. I ignored him. Actually I pretty much ignored everyone. I assumed Ishiah was in the living room cleaning up the wolf mess there, but I didn't care. Numbness had set it, which made getting stitches a little easier, especially because most of the fourteen Niko had to put in were along my neck. There was nothing we could do about my ear; Delilah had taken a little crescent hunk out of the top curl of the shell. It had been a warning I hadn't heeded. Not that I didn't have plenty other scars, I was a regular scratching post for the dark and twisted of the universe.

The silence in the apartment was deafening, interrupted only by the clink of a needle to the sink or the crackle of Niko opening another sealed package of gauze. My arm was already wrapped in a tight bandage; no completely broken, but fractured –praise tenacious Auphe bones. I winced at the needle when it bit into my flesh where the local antithetic didn't crept to quite yet. Niko's gray eyes fixed on me for a lingering moment, then he sighed. "I should have canceled the job."

"Not your fault." It was my mantra for the last few hours as well. Every claim they made, every statement was replied with the same whether it be slurred, half-asleep, or just slow and numb. It wasn't their fault. None of them. It was mine. I left him vulnerable. Because of my choices he was exposed to Delilah as my weakness, because of my previous choices with her he became a target before he was even born.

Nik's hand coasted over my nape. He knocked his forehead to mine and squeezed the tense muscles above my shoulders. I felt the pain, but welcomed it, deserved it. "Cal, listen to me. We'll get him back. We've been through this before, with you, with me, with Georgina—"

I snapped my head toward him, would he have been anyone other than my ninja-quick brother we would have smacked our heads together with the motion. He pulled back though, still holding onto my nape, then coming to the same quick conclusion as I did. "George."

His gray eyes were skeptical though. There had been times before, many times, that George refused to tell us what we demanded. She did so in tears, hating that she couldn't help us. Couldn't tell Niko where I was when Darkling had taken possession of my body like his new ride. Couldn't tell me if I would ever kill her should we try for that white picket fence. Well, she could, but she wouldn't, not even if a life was at stake, not even if her own life was at stake. She believed, whole-stupid-heartedly that her gift and life itself had purpose and everything happened for a reason.

Yeah, fuck fate. If there was some all great and powerful reason for me and mine to go through the twenty-eight levels of hell that we did over the years there better be a damn good prize at the end of that shit rainbow. And that train of thought was probably one of the reasons George and I would never work out. A creature as blood-stained and jaded as me could never be with one as pure as our little psychic. I needed, I knew now, someone that knew that life was shit and still smiled. Not because she accepted a life like that, but because she knew how to make it better, fun, tolerable. Maybe George would have been able to do that if I'd given in, but that was idle curiosity. Curious, but no regrets. Besides I'd already lost the woman that was exactly what I needed and I was about to lose the son I created with her. "We have to try."

"George is in town?" Robin asked, perking up. None of us had seen the college bound girl since her father passed and even then it was from a distance. It was her uncle Samuel that we spoke to, forcefully, considering the shit it put us through with the Auphe and later his fellow Vigil cohorts. "Let me go. I'll go talk to her."

He said it quickly, almost stumbling over the words. I'd never seen Goodfellow so eager to do something that didn't involve a bed or some other location appropriate for sexual conduct. Ah, who was I kidding? 'Appropriate' was one of the few words that the puck dictionary skipped. His green eyes flickered between us in pleading. "You should stay and wait for Promise, or maybe Delilah's demands—"

"Loman," I said, trying for affectionate, but it came our sternly. "I'm serious. This isn't your fault. You did everything you could."

"I told you he would be safe with us—"

"And if this was as simple as Delilah wanting to piss me off, he would have been safe," I countered. I rolled my shoulder to test out Niko's work. It ached and twinged, but the stitches kept me together. He'd taped gauze there too, which was already becoming stained with orangeish ooze. The bitches tore into me with the real purpose of threat. "They weren't playing, they were warning me, showing me what they could do. In preparation of blackmail."

Delilah had teased me and taunted me yesterday and even today, but I knew better. If it had all been a game, she would never have so many of her pack with her. Just the fact that she sent three of her pack minions to the warehouse with the knowledge that Nik and I would slaughter them spoke of the investment she had in this. She drove a jeep into Robin's car, she hunted them down a human-populated road, attacking relentlessly until she had my son. The Lupa wanted him and they didn't just want him to show the half-Auphe who was boss or slap me on the wrist for shooting Delilah last fall. Disrespect was a death sentence with the Kin, but this was more and I didn't understand the big picture until I almost slipped on another postcard when I'd hobbled into the apartment. Nik snatched it up and tossed it on the table inside the front door, forgotten in my medical emergency moment. But I saw –just like the last one– it had no return address, was in Catcher's surprisingly neat scrawl, and had a little stamped paw print in one corner. Amazing I could gather that much with one glance, while I could barely stay on my own two feet; Niko would be so proud.

But I noticed on the first one...it had smelled like werewolf. And not like Catcher was a werewolf and he wrote it and maybe licked the stamp. This was a more recent scent. A werewolf had dropped it off. A werewolf had found where Nik and I lived and dropped it off for an old friend or an old debt to Rafferty or whatever the reason, but the Kin found out. Delilah found out we were in contact with Rafferty again; the Kin's ticket to the All Wolf. And now that she was super Alpha on a mission she was hunting him down so she could be the queen of the chew-toy munchers. Fucking dogma. I would have never guessed it either, if she hadn't explicitly told me what she wanted.

"The postcards," I told Nik. We hadn't left the bathroom and both of them were still watching me as if I was about to go horizontal again. "Catcher's postcards. Someone's been dropping them off and Delilah found out about it. She knows we know, or thinks we know, where Rafferty is. She already made the demand. Rafferty for Dante. She's stepping up her game."

"I apologize for apparently missing the fact that the two of you actually received a parcel in the post, and mind you this is a momentous and proud occasion that we should relish and discuss at a later date, but _Catcher_has been sending you postcards?"

We hadn't told him, what with the Auphe stork dropping off my new son and all it kinda slipped our minds. "Catcher's back on two feet," I explained. "Don't know how or why."

"He's been sending friendly greetings and nothing more," Nik went on. "It seems they are living a relatively normal life for once." And good for them. They deserved it.

I stood from the toilet, happy that I could do so without my brain spinning around inside my head. "So what now?"

Niko took in a deep breath through his nose and squinted up at the small windows near the roof. The bathroom partition only went up about nine feet, leaving the view of the rising sun clear to paint the apartment with shadows and inflamed orange. I hoped Promise found some good cover.

"You need to stay awake for the next few hours. I suppose we can try and track Georgina down." Niko's eyes flickered over to catch and hold mine. "But if we run into trouble I want you out of it. And no gates, you'd probably get a brain hemorrhage from it." He pushed me out of the bathroom between my shoulders. "Let me get cleaned up, Robin watch him. Make sure he keeps his eyes open."

"You ask too much of me," Robin grumbled and actually kicked me in the ass lightly to get me farther down the hall. I went into my room with the puck following me, too tired and weary to argue with him. I stripped out of my jeans one-handed; my shirt was still lying on the bathroom floor and probably would stay there until Niko picked it up in frustration a week from now. I could hear Goodfellow snort behind me either commenting that my strip tease was seriously lacking or merely surprised I would expose myself to the horniest pan in the world. Thankfully my boxers were relatively unmarked by blood or teeth, which let me leave myself somewhat guarded. I was still pretty quick about getting into another pair of black jeans though. I sifted through my closet to find a clean shirt and ended up on my knees, when black shadows ringed around my vision.

Robin's was pulling me up in the next moment before I lost consciousness in the stench of my own dirty laundry. "She slammed you hard, didn't she? I haven't seen someone keel over like that since, blah, blah, blah." Okay, so maybe he didn't finish off the sentence like that, but I wasn't in the mood for historical anecdotes. And he went on for several minutes, putting me in a fog enough that I didn't even realize I wasn't dressing myself. He clapped his hands to my cheeks, once he got my head through the black tee. The connection was just enough to sting without jostling my brain. "Stay with me, Caliban. Focus."

"Robin?" I heard Niko's voice from my doorway, surprised it had been long enough for him to shower and dress...and rearm himself. Shit. I was losing time too.

"Niko, I don't know about this. I think we might want to take him to Nushi first?"

"I already tried to call him. He's out of the country again," Niko said softly. He knelt in front of me, long blond braid damp from his shower. He had a flashlight in hand, darting it across my eyes and making me flinch at the pain of it in the back of my head. "I think Robin may be right."

"I'm not staying here," I argued and pushed up on my feet. I felt a little better now. My head still throbbed like a bitch, but at least I was pretty sure the side effects of traveling had passed. "I'm going to George's house. I don't care if her parents think I'm a zombie."

"You're looking pretty close," Niko sighed. "Go wash up a little, hm? I don't want them thinking I'm abusing you either." I was glad he didn't try and dissuade me anymore. He knew I could be just as stubborn as him and this wasn't even about what I wanted anymore. This was about getting my son back and if we saved the little Wenca kid and killed the entirety of the Lupa pack while we were at it more power to us.

Stepping out into the living room after washing off my face and neck from dried blood, I was surprised to find it almost clean save for the lingering scent of blood and bleach. Ishiah was wiping his hands on a towel, when I entered. His blue-gray eyes raked over me with suspicion, and he crossed his arms over his chest looking entirely too much like Niko for my tastes. "He's still tilting while he walks." Was I?

I straightened and tried to look a little less shaky. "I'm fine."

Ishiah tilted his chin up in defiance, but it was aimed over my shoulder to where I knew Robin was standing at my shoulder, shrugging on his coat which still had a large gape in the soft leather at his shoulder. "You are _not _going with them." Goodfellow snorted again this time not at me.

"You are neither my keeper nor my superior so what makes you think you can control a creature as breathtakingly bold and marvelous as any could dream of being? Please give me reason to listen to one more word that comes out of your overly righteous mouth, Ishiah of the dwindling Cheris Clan."

I lifted my eyebrows at that; a bit of a harsh blow coming from Robin. The only reason the Cheris clan was dwindling at all was because of me and Cassie. Well, the clan itself was pretty much responsible for their own destruction considering that Castiella wouldn't have even slapped them with her bare hand if they had left us alone. But then they shot me and that pissed Cassie the hell off. It also instigated her to leave me for my own protection. And on top of his niece slaughtering his brothers to save me, Ishiah had the knowledge that his own boyfriend stabbed his father in the heart for similar reasons. I didn't really know how many Cheris peris were left, but I knew Ishiah's immediate family was down to two; him and some punk-ass prick named Joel.

Ishiah didn't really react to the barb other than to sigh. "Because I'm asking you to, Robin. Because I'm pleading for you to listen to me, for once, and oblige my request."

Robin glanced over at me, concern fleeting over his handsome face, then looked back at his boyfriend resolutely. "I have an obligation to these boys too, Ishiah. They're my friends and right now that are in need of my superb and limitless skills with the sword—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Goodfellow," I growled and shoved his shoulder, the wounded one. No one could claim me a gentle creature. "Go crash on the couch for a few hours. You can hold vigil over me when I get back all you want."

"Cal—"

I was getting annoyed now. "Robin, this is not your fault. Understand me? Not. Your. Fault. Not yours, not Promise's, I'm beginning to think it's not even completely mine. So if you want to help me, if you want to make up what ever falsified debt you have to me. Heal, get back on par, and help me put some flea-ridden bitches out of their misery."

He smiled at me. "Welcome back, Kujo."

"Back at ya, Cassanova. Now get on the couch."

Ishiah and Robin stayed, agreeing to try and get in contact with Promise as well as attempt to phone in a few favors to find out where the mystery werewolf mailman might be at present. I doubted he or she would be of much help, but anything was beneficial when you'd hit rock bottom. I grabbed the postcard on the way out the door, re-stocked on guns and ammo (Niko had retrieved my precious Desert Eagle from where I dropped it). I flipped the cardstock over as Niko kicked the door closed. The thing had been nearly ripped of its hinges this time.

Catcher was writing us from North Carolina this time, some beach and sun place called Corolla. This one held similar greetings as the other. Mentioned how he was trying to get Rafferty to roadtrip it up to New York, but it was a little dangerous for them right then. I took that to mean they knew the Kin were after them, seeing how the werewolf mafia was a little more prevalent here than any other city. I passed it back to Niko.

"We going to call Rafferty?"

"Later, yes." He didn't have to explain what we would say. There was no way we would ask Rafferty to come to our aid. He just got his cousin back to the land of the marginally intelligent it would be cruel to ask them to risk their lives for us again. Suloyak was desperation. We knew we wouldn't be able to stop the anti-healer without Rafferty, there was no way. The world would have stopped turning, or at least it wouldn't have been just _tolerantly_polluted as it was now. But the Kin? Niko and I had faced the Kin before, fought them, falsely worked beside them, and killed them. And I knew Delilah. I knew I could kill Delilah as long as five wolves weren't breathing down my neck and simultaneously trying to rip it out. We could get Dante back without Rafferty and Catcher, but that didn't mean we weren't going to warn them about the price on their heads.

There were police lights flashing around the street Robin had lost his car. I had faith that my friends thought ahead to swipe the plates, but Niko and I still weren't willing to stroll on by and be spotted. Especially because I saw the large black van among the blue-striped white police cars and recognized it as a Vigil vehicle. I didn't want to be anywhere near those bastards right now. It'd probably end up killing a few just for putting me through all this fatherly stress. When this all died down, though, I was certainly giving Samuel a call...find out what they hell they did to us.

Niko and I ducked down the closest alley, cutting down secluded streets. We took the subway to George's neighborhood, banking on the possibility that she and her friends were staying at her parents for free rent while they visited. Niko led the way, as the only place I knew to find her was the old ice cream shop or my own front door; she had a knack for knowing exactly when I was searching for her. Subconsciously or consciously. This crisp morning was no different.

We found her sitting on her parent's stoop with her scowling boyfriend lounging a step below her, protecting. His eyes flung the sharpest of daggers at me as I came around the corner after my brother. He actually stood up before George did and then I noticed her had a gun in his hand. Oh, look, I had one too. I pulled out my Glock from behind my back with my left hand and held it my side as a precaution. A human didn't threaten me, but that didn't mean that I was going to put up with it. He was a hunter, but I was a predator, there was a vast difference.

"Cal," Niko growled at me. I didn't ask how he knew my physical action without eyes in the back of his head. I didn't holster the weapon though, just kept it at my side so the Scarecrow could see it. George flowed to her feet in a rich teal green dress that fell to just below her knees, she had a sweater tucked around her arms, long enough that just the tips of her fingers appeared when she slid her fingers down Josh's arm to the Barreta 9 mm in his hand.

"Both of you please stop," she said, her voice all honey and sunlight. She smelled of the same, with just a hint of cinnamon. Niko stood purposefully between Josh and me, regarding George with a warm almost smile that wasn't entirely faked. She returned it ten-fold, with a saddened haze over her usually bright stare. "Niko." She stepped down to the sidewalk and wrapped him up in a careful hug. Careful only because she knew how many blades were hiding under his long duster. "Hello, Niko. How have you been?"

"I've been better, as I'm sure you know." They stepped back from each other. Niko's hands falling to his sides and George tucking hers around her waist in the folds of her sweater. I could tell by her expression that she knew very well why we were here and had a feeling she wasn't going to tell us. It hurt, somehow, it still hurt and angered me that she would be that way.

"Just tell me where he is," I pleaded.

"You're an asshole," Josh interjected. He stomped down the steps, brushing by George and trying to do the same to Niko, but my brother blocked his path with the scabbard of one sword under his coat. So the genius decided to point his gun in my direction and throw words in my face. The safety was on, but with the way he held the gun I knew he wasn't a novice; he just wasn't a killer. That would have made me concerned for George considering his temper, but I could tell it was just me bringing it out in him. The man was shown a monster and he stepped in front the innocent girl to face it. It didn't concern me; it made me relieved that she had someone who knew how to shoot the sickos of the world that would eagerly use her purity and gifts as their own, human or nonhuman. I could say something for him though; he had a pretty intimidating fire in his eyes.

"You nearly got her killed before! She loved you and you brushed her aside only to come back when it's convenient. When you need help. When you want to _use_ her."

"Josh, stop it." I'd never heard her scold someone before. She'd called me stubborn several times, lectured me on how I should live and stop running. But looked what happened when I did. When I found a nice girl to settle down with and have a family with...my lover died by the hands of the most vicious creatures of the world and probably all beyond ours and my son was kidnapped by the werewolf mafia. "He's scared. His son is missing."

"Probably better off," Josh countered. I lifted the Glock, but it was just as quickly pushed down by Niko. Josh's wasn't pushed down, it remained aimed directly at my forehead; safety still on. I'd worry about the bullet when he actually meant to fire. After a second or so, Josh tilted the gun to the side and lowered it. His expression changed drastically, green-brown eyes dropping to the ground for just a moment. Stupid of him, if I really was the monster he thought me I would have shot him in the head in just that instant. "I'm sorry, that was..." he shook his head and met my gaze with confidence. There was still tension in his body, wound up like a toy monkey with a broke string. "I don't like you. I don't trust you, but I don't know you well enough to say that. I'm sorry."

That surprised me a little, the sincerity in his tone. He slid the Barreta into his waistband at his back and for the first time I actually looked him over with the respect of a fellow man. He looked like one of those guys that frequented the gym and not to pick up chicks. In a bar fight he would probably fair well, in a bar fight at the Ninth Circle he would be the topping on the potato skins. "Still think you're an asshole." But I was beginning to like him.

I shrugged. "Everyone's entitled to their opinions. And many others share yours."

"And yet George believes in you, that's gotta hold some merit. So say your piece and get gone."

I slid my Glock back in my own waistband and tugged my tee over it, ignoring the twinge in my right arm. "I don't have much to say. I just want to know where my son is. I just want to get him back." I turned my gaze on George, trying my best to show her my desperation without seeming pitiful. Though I'm sure she knew, without a word I'm sure she saw how much I needed this.

"I can't," George answered with a shake in her usually sunny voice. The sound could make a puppy whine in sympathy, but not me. "I'm sorry, Caliban, but I can't."

"He's my son, George. Not even two years old! You think it's his fate to be torn apart by a pack of sadistic mafia werewolves?" I clenched my fists to stop from grabbing and shaking her. Pain arced up my arm to my shoulder. I almost could hear my cracked bone creak. "I know your morals and your code, but he's only a baby. I just want to know where he is. Just the address. You've done it before. Just an address."

"There is no address," George whispered. "He's mobile. I've tried Cal. The moment I knew you were coming I tried. Every time I look the location is different. There's a cage, and a methodical rocking, the squeak of tires..."

"A car?" I asked. "He's caged up in the back of a van?"

George nodded, wrapping her arms around her waist a little more tightly. "I can't see anymore than that." Her soft eyes flickered up to me. "No plates, no markings, black."

"The Vigil?" Their uniform was a fucking black van.

She shook her head, red curls bouncing. "No. I saw her. Delilah. But I couldn't see how many others."

I hesitated only a moment, then stepped forward, around Niko, to cup one side of George's face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you." A few of her amber curls got caught between my fingers, sliding over them as I removed my hand before Josh decided to take his safety off. I offered her a sad smile, then turned to leave. She caught my injured hand, I winced, and she let go immediately.

"Cal...you can't blame yourself for this or anything else that may happen. Your son...he—" she stopped herself, but I didn't press. It was the first time she started to tell me something important that I hadn't demanded of her. Well, it was the first time that I wanted to listen to the something important that I hadn't demanded of her. I faced her again, waiting, Niko silent as stone beside me. George swallowed as she stared at the sidewalk outside her parent's house. "When I looked at your future...when I saw you with her, he wasn't there."

I felt my heart lurch; it was certainly getting a work out tonight. "He was there." I told her with more certainty than I felt. "You just didn't see him." Dante would be fine. We would get him out and we would make the Kin too scared to look at us anytime in the near future. If George didn't see him he was out visiting with Uncle Niko, or he was being babysat by Robin while me and my honey had a romantic night out, but he was there. I wasn't about to buy into all this mystic shit of fate. There were choices, paths, or highways –something. George saw one. That was it. George just saw one of many and it was the wrong one, because I was going to get my son back. "Thanks, George." I glanced over at Josh, raising my chin just briefly in respect. "Watch out for her."

"Always," Josh replied easily. "Good luck with your son."

Niko and I didn't talk as we walked home, though he watched me with a sullen look in his eyes. I ignored it, because there was nothing to be sullen about. We lost Dante, but we'd get him back. That's what we did. No Leandros left behind.


	11. Chapter 11 Catcher

**CHAPTER ELEVEN  
**

**CATCHER****  
**  
Road trips were the best when you weren't running after or from death. Of course it helped when my company wasn't just my cousin hell-bent on saving me from a cure that couldn't be cured again. Or at least, we thought it couldn't be cured again. Or I did. Rafferty never gave up and I guessed I was glad for it now, since somehow he'd cured the cure. Despite my love of genetics and biology and everything that made a body in motion tick, I'd avoided thoughts of my new and better situation. I didn't want to over think it. It was that whole gift horse in the mouth thing. But when I finally told Cassie my story, she brought up a damned valid point.

"Well, did he ever tap into your brain to accelerate your adaptation process?" I was driving up interstate 95 with Cassie shotgun. Her bare feet were propped on the dash and Lovett was sprawled across the back seat half snoring half grunting and kicking the door panel. We had already spend a half hour making fun of him 'chasing rabbits', but considering he was ducking the Aggi crew in Europe (and therefore the Kin in America) I doubted whatever he was running at or from had a cute fluffy tail.

We'd set out that morning, early, since it would take ten or more hours to get to New York, in two cars. We had an RV once, but around Illinois where we picked up Lovett, we'd decided to turn in the RV for a sedan and a crossover SUV. Both hybrid. It was slightly pricier than the trade in, but we'd already seen the benefit with the gas prices the way they were. Some might have said it was a dumb decision considering our pack's size, but honestly having two cars allowed some of us the time away from the twins we needed. Besides it was a whole lost easier to park a four door than a semi-beast.

Raff was with Mia, Meele, and the boys in the SUV leading the way, mostly so they could pull off every time the boys needed to piss or eat and I could easily follow. At the moment though, we weren't going very far or very fast. There was an accident just outside of Baltimore that was clogging the Northbound side at all lanes; eighteen wheelers had a tendency to do that when they tipped over. Rafferty had called to tell me as much, as well as that it was too far away to be certain, but he didn't think anyone was dead yet. When I saw the hospital chopper circle overhead I understood why he tacked that 'yet' on.

"Adaptation process?" I echoed Cassie as the concept slowly sunk in.

"Well, I don't know the correct term for it, but werewolves came from wolves." She said it with certainty, which meant she wasn't guessing, but knew. Not surprising; the Harbinger was older than some races, not all, but a few. She was three thousand years old or more and she was curled up with her toes against the AC vent and her hands idly braiding her autumn blond hair. It was a little comical really. "From what I know they adapted into a creature that could change form to human as well as wolf. You kinda went back to your roots, so what if he tapped into that gene that makes you go from hunt, kill, eat, hump to...well, the same only with verbs and adjectives."

I snorted, but didn't disagree. Our needs were simple ones. We tried not to bog life down with all the idiosyncrasies and stresses that the humans did. And we had more fun for it. And she very well could have been right. One of the first things Rafferty tried was accelerating everything and anything in my brain that may have contributed to genetic adaptation. It made me, pardon the pun, sick as a dog and I made him take it off. It was possible he didn't 'take it off' but rather made it less intense. It would explain a lot. Why I lost my mind to the wolf before I rallied back into a human form. If I was adapting from square one, I had to be at square one first...

Rafferty has said he thought he saw little glimmers of intelligence in my eyes in the months before I woke up fleshy and confused. Maybe he kicked up the brain-tampering then and just failed to tell me. "It's possible." Cassie had been glancing over at me in concern for a while now. Probably worried she brought up something she shouldn't since it took me so long to respond. "I'll talk to Rafferty when I feel like getting poked and prodded again. Or, oh, maybe if we leave it on I'll turn into the next best thing. Super smart, dashing, and debonair."

"Or you might just become the Hulk and turn into a wolf the size of a Hummer when you get pissed or horny."

I laughed, but it was a possibility. Anything was. "So tell me," I started, changing the subject to something I was actually curious about. "Why do you think Caliban hates you? Because if he hates you for leaving him to spare him...well, I'd have bone to pick with the boy because he did the same thing to...someone else in his life."

"George," Cassie offered with a knowing smile. I'd spared the name in case of impending jealousy or hurt. There was no reason to air out all of Cal's ex-girlfriends considering Cassie obviously hated Delilah. "You don't have to tip-toe around it. Caliban told me pretty much everything. I think he _did _tell me everything. It was like he was desperate for someone to talk to." Her smile became wistful, but her body smelled of heat. Oh, the girl had it bad; I could guess what other things had happened those nights that didn't involve talking. "He was surprised that I didn't run away screaming, I guess, even more surprise when I..." She glanced over at me. "Showed my acceptance." I grinned at her, making her blush a little. "Well, I'm not going to give you a play by play, as desperate as you might seem."

"I'm not desperate," I argued.

"You wanted to fuck an Auphe, that's pretty desperate."

"I wanted to fuck you, there is a distinctive difference. And if he is enough of an idiot to deny you the offer still stands."

Cassie giggled. "Please, don't tease him. He already got it from Robbie all the time."

"Robbie? Oh lord," I rolled my eyes to the ceiling of the Civic and let off a dramatic sigh. Great she was on a nickname basis with the puck. "I assume you mean Robin Goodfellow."

"Sure," Cassie replied. Lovett let off a whine, shuddered and shifted violently. Cassie stretched her arm behind her to touch his leg, whispering softly for him to be calm. It seemed to work, her voice musical in its bass. Lovett stilled back into a deeper sleep, mouth hanging open. "He's the puck I told you about. My best friend and partner in crime. Robin and I were friends for nearly a millennium before I ran off on mission: kill Auphe."

I lifted my eyebrows a little ashamed that I hadn't made the connection. When she told the stories she'd just called him the 'puck' or 'pan', maybe trying to keep his identity secret or just not seeing why I needed to know which puck it was. A thousand years was a long time to put up with that horny bastard though and if I found Cassie irresistible I could only imagine how many times she had to kick him off her leg. Or maybe she didn't…

"Thousand years, huh?" I muttered and let off a low whistle before wiggling my eyebrows in her direction. "You tap that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why is everyone so concerned about me sleeping with Robin? It hasn't happened and it never will. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and he has it dangling between his legs like a tripod."

Thank God we were stuck in stop go traffic or I would have probably swerved off the road, I was laughing so hard. It woke Lovett up and he rubbed at his eyes, immediately asking what he missed. I tried to fill him in, but most of it was lost since Lovett didn't know Robin and, well, you had to be there. I wiped the tears from my eyes and scooted the car the couple of feet that had opened up between me and Raffery's green Saturn.

"All right, so you never slept with a puck."

"No, have you?"

I smiled at her challenging retort. "No, many beings both human and nonhuman, but I can safely say, no pucks. But that is neither here nor there, because I asked you why you thought Cal hated you and you never answered."

Cassie sobered instantly. Her bare feet slid to the seat, making her look so tiny and fragile in an almost fetal position. "Because the story leading up to it shames me." I gave her a sidelong look. It would have been more glaring if I hadn't noticed Rafferty was pulling off at the rest stop, probably frenzied to get the pups out of the car.

"Well?" I asked as we weaved around the clover. It was one of the large rest stops with restaurants and a gas station. I wasn't going to let her out of the car until she talked, knowing very well it wasn't as bad as she thought.

"I lost Dante," she said softly. "To them...several times, but once it was for almost eight months in Tumulus. I didn't know what else to do so I went to Cal for help." She tried for her door handle when I parked, but I'd placed it in child-lock mode. Cassie gave me warning look; one that said she would break the door if I continued to mess with her. I didn't unlock it. She sighed heavy, both Lovett and my eyes trained on her. He didn't stop me from cornering her, probably just as curious as me by this point.

"When I found him he looked right through me." Cassie gave in, dropping her back to the seat and folding her arms under her chest. If she weren't so upset she probably would have hit me for my eyes wandering. "He ignored me, like I wasn't even there. I was a bit emotional at the time and I acted rashly. I just left. I thought was alone then. That I wasn't going to get help from him."

"So you didn't actually talk to him," I cut in. I leaned over the center console, trying to catch her eyes. "Cassie, you have to know if you had told him he was a father and the Auphe had his son he would have dropped everything to help you. Even if he didn't believe you. He wouldn't let a child go through what he did."

"I have to go to the bathroom," she informed me, which was more 'I'm done talking about this'. I frowned, but unlocked the door. She wasted no time slipping out and walking off toward the large mini-mall building. Her silence and refusal spoke clearly that she knew the mistake, but that didn't stop her from fearing his reaction to her now. She never told Caliban he was a father, never told him his son was in danger. That would certainly put a kink in things; the Leandros boys hated being lied to. Bit hypocritical considering how guarded they were about their own secrets. Cal never came clean about his lineage with Rafferty and me, never really had to considering Raff could sense what Cal was from several feet away, but still they never fessed up. Granted this was a bit more serious; this was Cal's _son_.

"She's got more issues than a comic book shop, doesn't she?" Lovett muttered, still shaking off his nap. He got out of the car and stretched lazily, giving me a mischievous look before he shut the door. "But she is cute."

I gave him a jaundiced look as he went to catch up with the others. I leaned back in my own seat, closing my eyes in the silence for a moment. I felt bad for Cassie and for Cal. Neither ever asked to be born the way they were, into the horrors that they faced. And now they had the responsibility of a little bundle, keeping him from being torn to shreds by the cruel world. It wasn't a small weight by any means.

"Hey." I jumped and spun at the tap to the window glass. Curbing the little chirp of surprise, I rolled the window down for Rafferty, taking in a few calming breaths. He was grinning at my sensitive reaction.

"You're a jerk."

He handed me his cell phone without explanation so I pressed it to my ear. I heard the droned recording of our voicemail. Rafferty hadn't thought he would need his old cell phone with me all wolf all the time so he chucked it. Once I was back in the flesh we bought a couple of used out-of-date phones in Wyoming. Unfortunately when Raff chucked the old cell he trashed all the numbers we used to know along with it. Not long after I was back on two legs and less furry he decided to hack into the old voicemail at our place in Staten Island, apparently he'd been paying that bill without realizing. The house we abandoned was paid off by his inheritance from his parents, but the bills continued to collect minute amounts from his bank account back in New York. A sure sign that he knew deep down we were never going back there. Well, wasn't he eating those words now.

I hesitated with the phone to my ear and pressing one to repeat message. There were many people that knew that house number, seeing how Rafferty used run a pseudo practice there, but few would still bother to call. After the beep I recognized the voice on the other line immediately. He didn't say who he was, but the smooth calm that transcended through the line was unmistakable. Niko Leandros.

_"Rafferty, if you get this message I ask two things of you. Please tell Catcher to stop sending us postcards -as nice as it is to hear from the two of you, it's causing some Kin ears and noses to twitch in interest."_Shit. I cast a guilty look at my cousin. He hadn't wanted me to send those cards to begin with, but I couldn't help myself. I felt a snap of guilt for getting Tarv into this inevitable mess. Serendipity had us meet him in Denver where Raff healed his mate after a boggle attack. He'd felt in debited to Rafferty and pleaded to be able to do more than provide money. When I heard they were moving to New York, I asked him to be my liaison to the Leandros boys. With their reputation I figured they wouldn't be hard to find. Apparently Tarv found them and the Kin found him.

_"Secondly, please be careful and avoid any areas that are Kin-centric. They still seem to have All Wolf fever. Avoid Delilah, please."_ There was extra emphasis there, probably because I'd shown great interested in the white wolf before. _"I'm glad Catcher's gotten better." _A long pause, then. _"Take care; both of you."_

I eyed my cousin as I hung up the phone. I didn't delete the message, thinking he might need to refer back to it. I didn't; I knew that that long pause for what it was: omission. He didn't want to tell us something, didn't want to bring us into whatever flames that were consuming them. Two guesses as to what trouble they were into. Kin plus baby half Auphe didn't create very many promising scenarios in my head. "You try to call him?"

Rafferty nodded and leaned against the open window. "No answer. I left a message basically telling him to stop being a wuss and ask for help when it was needed. And I told him we'd be in New York by nightfall."

"And Cassie?"

"I left that surprise for later. And we aren't telling her about this either." I narrowed my eyes. "I know you don't like that, but I don't want her flying off the handle because her son _might _be in danger with the Kin. Especially considering her reaction to Delilah's name. I have faith that Cal and Niko can keep Dante safe for a few more hours."

He was right, I didn't like it. Cassie laid down her life for that boy barely a week ago; it didn't seem right that we would keep this information from her. Even if Niko hadn't said the kid was directly in danger, it was obvious something was going wrong and we were involved whether they wanted to admit that or not. The Kin were after Rafferty, we knew that before Niko's call, now they were trying to go through the brothers to get to us. It wasn't long for it. I knew that would happen the moment Delilah saw me last year. I just figured she would be too busy boning Cal to try and blackmail him. Maybe she found the perfect playing piece in the form of a pint-sized predator in the making. I wouldn't be surprised if she had eyes on Caliban even after cutting ties.

"Not a word," he warned me. His eyes flashed yellow for a moment as he pointed a finger at me. "And be careful when you get to the city." I nodded. The plan had been for me, Cassie, and Lovett to start tracking down Cal and Niko, while Rafferty took Mia, Melee and the boys to our old place in Staten Island. It probably needed a major overhaul in the dusting department. Raff planned to meet up with us if/when we ran into trouble. I had assumed finding Niko and Caliban would be easy with Tarv, but now...damn, I hoped he and his mate were all right; the Kin could be very 'convincing' when they wanted something.

He smacked the side of my car. "You want a burger?"

I held up three fingers. "And fries."

After the prolonged pit stop we packed it up and hit the road, Lovett taking his turn behind the wheel. I decided to ride in the back seat with Cassie. We left all the windows down, the radio blasting and the three of us singing classic rock at the top of our lungs. Even better considering the traffic hadn't gotten much better on the interstate. Cassie laughed as she tapped her feet against my thigh, sitting in her seat so her back was to the door. Amazing how quickly she could bounce back, but I supposed when you lived as long as she had (with a free-loving puck for the majority of the time) you had to have some fun before depression and loneliness killed you. I always had Rafferty so I wouldn't know. Not true loneliness. Not being lost with all eyes that bothered to gaze at you doing so with violence or fear.

"How do you do it?" I shouted over the radio. Cassie lifted her eyebrows, either not hearing me or not understanding. I wrapped my hands around her feet to stop them from drumming. "How do you stay so balanced? After all you've been through?"

"How do you?" she countered with a bright smile. "Fluffy."

I wouldn't be honest with myself if I denied that I wanted to maul her right then and there in the back seat of the Civic, in a pup in heat kind of way. She seemed to sense it though and lifted one foot to press against my shoulder, pinning me to the seat. "I found love, Mr. Jeftichew. In many different levels and many different ways and I intend never to lose it." She let me up and sat with her one leg curled up against her, the other stretched behind Lovett's seat. "Beauty can be seen best from the deepest darkness."

"Poetic," I commented, but in truth it sounded like something I would have spouted off years ago, and meant it. "Don't lose touch. When you find your love of many levels and ways."

She smiled that sultry quirk of a grin and nodded. "Of course not."

"If I kiss you, Caliban will skin me, won't he?" Lovett chose that moment to turn down the volume on the radio since we weren't singing along with him anymore. I could see him cringe in the rear view; my embarrassment had not been his intention.

Cassie's mahogany eyes flickered down, not bashful like a school girl not wanting to admit she was giving the go ahead, but it a rueful way that told me I had no chance. "I have no idea how Cal feels about me, but I love him. And honestly, until he outright rejects me I don't think I can accept anyone else like I did him. I'm sorry, Catcher."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I was just wondering how casual your relationship was. Ya know, get a little werewolf nookie in on the sly." They were just words and she knew it. She leaned forward and dropped her head to my shoulder in another form of apology. I sighed and took in her scent while I could. "You're too irresistible for your own good."

"So Robin has told me," she hummed. "You know I believe I'm the only half Auphe, or half peri for that matter, that had two pucks literally fighting over me."

She was changing the subject and to save my dignity I let her. "I think that is a safe assumption. Who won?"

"I guess Robin, though the night of the fight I knocked them both on their asses for the sheer narcissism of it all."

I brightened at that; I loved a good puck-humbling story. "Oh, tell me more, great seductress."

And she did. She told me about the first night she met Robin, the new puck in town, and Loki, the owner of the bar she'd strolled into. An unfortunate night for the two of them and probably one of the first that either struck out with their target. Apparently, it had started out as a pan bet: who could bed the peri and survive? It ended, obviously with a lasting friendship between Robin and Cassie. And suddenly it made sense to me why Robin hugged so close to Niko and Cal when the usual puck mentality was duck and cover until the shit settled and the party started back up. He missed Cassie. He missed his best friend.

And there was a lot to miss from the dozen stories she told next. Fighting the Evati in Europe (that story was vastly different when Cassie told it and flattering to neither party involved), dinning with the first Pharaoh of Egypt, diving off a Viking ship into the Atlantic, and watching the first fireworks display in China. And somehow she still seemed fascinated by my menial stories about the Amazon and Lovett's retelling of the Aggi and Yardie feuds. Yeah, road trips were much better when you weren't running for your lives.

By the time we got out of grid-lock we'd resumed goofier icebreaker games and were currently laughing so hard through our 'first times' that my sides were hurting. It hadn't started out with the obvious –we were all leaving that juicy one for later. First bar fight, first broken heart, first broken bone, first boner. That was the one I was cracking up about at the moment as Lovett tried to defend his first run in with authority in combination with his first boner. "It's not funny, I thought I was a damn masochist for the longest time after that!"

"There is not shame in that," Cassie giggled. "None at all! You're a werewolf there isn't that far a leap from tennis ball to ballgag." I couldn't breathe, I seriously couldn't breathe. Lovett threw a burger wrapper at her from the front seat, which she blocked.

I took in a few deep breathes and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Okay, okay. It's time for the popping of the cherry." I slapped my hands together rubbing them and pointing at Cassie. "You first, unless Lovett's tale of scholastic corporal punishment continues.

"Fuck you, Catch."

"I'm guessing that's a no, so go, little birdie, go." Cassie shook her head. Her cheerful expression had faded and her scent had dampened to that of a ruffled bird that had just fallen out of its nest. "Cassie?

"I'd rather plead the fifth on this one."

"Improper use of the term and denied!" Lovett caroled from the driver's seat. He couldn't see her though, couldn't smell her as well as I could with the windows still down. Her eyes met mine in pleading and I felt my stomach triple flip around those burgers and fries.

"Shit," I whispered. "Please don't tell me it was the Auphe."

Her teeth were clenched. "It's nothing now. It was a long time ago." That didn't change the fact that I felt utterly guilty for dredging up possibly the most horrific memories I could think up. "It wasn't them, though they let it happen...encouraged it." She rubbed her hands over her round face before emotion could form there. "It was my brother...brothers. There were eight of us that hatched and survived. Six male, two female. The Auphe didn't want the females to think they held any dominance so...I'm sure you can get it without me painting a picture."

"Cassie, you don't—"

"You said to come to you when I wanted to talk, right?"

I dropped my hands in my lap and nodded. Cassie swallowed hard and lifted her chin to gather strength. "Robin's the only other one I told this to." She tried for a smile and its luster failed. "You're now privy to guarded information. That must mean I like you."

Lovett didn't say a word in the driver's seat. He didn't turn off the radio or lift up the windows, he knew this was for me, but Cassie knew he could hear her just fine and she didn't seem to care. When you needed to get something off your chest that had been there for as long as this had, you tended not to care who heard. Her eyes were fixed on me though, flickering down to her hands every so often or out the window. "One of my brothers killed my sister in front of me. After he'd just fucked her, he picked her up by the hair, drove his hand into her chest with a gate and ripped her heart out. Like he wanted to show me how good he was. He came toward me next, saying they only needed one."

I wanted to hug her, lord did I want to hold her so badly. Her sun-lit eyes and coy quirky smile, how did she maintain them? How...did she not stay in the feral abyss the Auphe put her into? She met my eyes again, no tears, no strain in her smile. "That's when I learn survival. I killed him and went for my other brothers. It wasn't until the last three were ganging up on me that the Auphe stopped us. I don't know if it was for my rage or because I was holding my own against my brothers, but they set their sights on me. I became the golden child, their pride and joy. I was never touched after that, not until I betrayed them at least. And eventually I became an only child by my design."

Cassie took in a breath and let it out with a whoosh, stretching her hands in front of her as if the bad energy was released and she was pushing it away. "There," she said resolutely. "That was a little cathartic, but now I ruined the game. Maybe I should talk about my first time feeling a man's orgasm as if it was my own."

I hesitated, then leaned forward and kissed Cassie's cheek. She didn't flinch, not that she had to, I was no threat and she knew it. Just a friend sympathizing and thanking her for sharing that dark part of her past. "However did you manage that?" I asked, humoring her topic evasion.

"It's a neat little trick called Claiming that only those with Auphe blood can accomplish. Too bad for you, because from what Cal tells me a woman's orgasm is almost better than a man's."

I lifted my eyebrows and chuckled. "Well, now I'm all sorts of jealous."

Cassie dropped back against the door and looked out the front for a moment. "I'm glad it was him." I waited for her to continue, not quite connecting the dots. I figured she was talking about Caliban, but with the way her emotions were pin-balling I couldn't be sure. "I never thought it possible, but since it apparently is, I'm glad it was Caliban. If Dante had been the son of one of them…I would have had to kill him." She chuckled, a weak and strained sound. Bitter and dark. "It really makes a difference, him coming from me. I killed so many young Auphelings without a bat of the eye, cut them down, choked them out, broke their necks…I almost killed Cal, but if Dante had been theirs…"

I gave in. I pushed her feet to the floor and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her against my chest. She didn't fight it. She even curled up against me, the wind from the windows making flyway from her dark blond crown brush against my cheek and chin. "Don't think about the irrelevant. It didn't happen, therefore there is nothing to fix, okay?" She nodded against my chest. "He's Cal's son, he's your son, he's got some human and peri in him. That's more than enough to prove the world wrong."

"I miss him," she whispered, almost too soft for me to catch. I buried my nose into her hair hating to smell her anguish mingling with sweet flower and earthy wood. I wasn't sure if she was talking about Dante or Caliban, but my bets were on both.

"We'll be there soon," I promised, my gut twisting at all I was leaving out. We _would_ be there soon and if anything was wrong, we would fix it.


	12. Chapter 12 Cal

**CHAPTER TWELVE  
**

**CAL**

Familiars. Every Dungeons and Dragons, fairy-loving, human pretending that witches were real knew what a 'familiar' was. Usually seen as a loyal, fluffy, intelligent woodland or jungle creatures that gave guidance and aid to their dear friend. But truth was stranger than fiction, right? And like everything else that seemed too belly-rubbing good to be true it was dead wrong. Animals that intelligent were never normal animals. They were monsters in Bengal tiger or grey wolf clothing. Within a second it could transform into something much less cuddly and chomp down. Probably when it felt its dear friend no longer benefited it. That was just the lay of the land. That was how the world worked.

Our familiar wasn't loyal, fluffy, or that extraordinarily intelligent, but, what the hell, he guided and aided us right up to the door of the apartment we needed all the same. Might as well let him cash in on the unfortunate carrion we found in the meager studio apartment off of Flushing Avenue in Queens.

I watched the muscles under the withered tan skin of the undead cat roll as it circled around the male werewolf carcass, sniffing cautiously. I nudged my toe to the second body, this one in full wolf form with blood on her teeth, but just as dead. I glanced over at my brother, then Goodfellow. "Well, this was a bust."

Niko gave me a warning look, then turn and left the apartment with his cell phone appearing by his ear. I didn't ask what he was doing. One or both of these two were Catcher and Rafferty's informants, which meant the Kin were that much closer to figuring out where the werewolf healing duo was. Either that or they just killed the couple once they found out where the postcards were going. I still didn't want to be the one to call up and tell Catcher that his elusive mailman was lying in a puddle of his own blood and guts in the center of his kitchen.

Spartacus peered over at me from his perch on the male wolf's shoulder, where it wasn't torn open to display all internal organs in ruddy browns and filmy purples. I met his ember-flickering hollowed eyes. "Good boy, Sparty, have at."

"Really?" Goodfellow groaned, scowling at me. Spartacus ignored his 'master' and started gnawing at the dried muscle around one exposed rib. I shrugged, though I did have to avert my eyes. There were was even some things I didn't want to see; it gave me bad flashbacks to when Niko forced me to watch National Geographic like it was a Friday night horror movie.

"Better the dead than the living," I told the puck. Salome and the last mummy cat left over from the fleet, which I dropped off at Goodfellow's apartment when I only half remembered I was a monster, were ditched for the day. Robin claimed that Spartacus had the best nose of them all and none of us wanted to deal with corralling three zombie cats along the streets of New York. He was right about Sparty anyway; waving the postcard under the cat's smeller (if he could still be called a cat) had us trailing after our only lead of the moment.

Probably interesting watching three grown men following after a hairless cat like a row of little chicks. When we tried to get our consolation bloodhound to sniff out Dante he sneezed at the blanket and continued cleaning his claws, apathetic to my desperation. Why he decided to be amiable with the werewolf's scent was beyond me, but we followed.

Unfortunately, our intention had been to ask the werewolf how the Kin found out about his part-time mail route or, more importantly, if he knew where the Lupa pack might be. Instead we picked the lock to an apartment already tossed and two bodies strewn across the floor two or three days dead. I wandered into the kitchen, stepping over Sparty and the werewolf. The refrigerator was littered with receipts, notes, and a few photos. One of them caught my eye.

A humanoid female with an impressive set of wolf teeth grinned at me with her arms wrapped around Catcher's neck. I only knew the ruddy-haired man was Catcher because of his eyes. He always had a stare that was far more intelligent than his forest-native ancestors even as a wolf. I remembered him from that picture in his room too. The one where he and Rafferty were standing with arms slung over each other's shoulders on the mountain face of some ski slope, grinning and loving life. It was the same smile. The werewolf must have been elated to be back on two feet.

I plucked the photo off the fridge and passed it to Goodfellow. "That's Catcher and I'm assuming the female here," I motioned to the still wolf body on the floor of the foyer. "Is the other smiling face."

Robin grunted, surveying the photo with a tilt of his head. "Which means they were either grateful clients or close friends and judging by the amount of patience and virtue one would have to contain to be friends with the werewolf cousins without trying to kill one of them I would assume the first."

"Which means this is moot," I grumbled. "If these two knew where the Lupa were they aren't telling now."

"We might be able to find out where Rafferty and Catcher are—"

"I don't want to know," I cut in, leveling a look of irritation on the puck. I didn't. I didn't want any clue as to where the Jeftichews were because that would give me the temptation to plea for their help, or use them to get Dante back. I was getting that anxious. I was getting that paternal and it fucking scared me. I wanted to tell Delilah where they were because, damn it, Rafferty could give a pack of wolves heart attacks in tandem with brain aneurysms without breaking a sweat. Breaking his morals, yes, becoming something like the anti-healer bastard we killed last year, sure, but he could do it and I would have my son safe and sound in my arms. It was a dark, desperate thought, which was why I didn't want to know. "Let's get out of here."

In the same moment I said it, Niko slipped back into the apartment with a deep scowl and suspicious glance over his shoulder. "We have company and I don't believe it's a visiting friend."

I pulled my Eagle out of its holster. "Human, nonhuman, or monster?

"Human," Niko replied, facing the door that he left ajar. "Five. Gray jumpsuits. Black van outside. I couldn't see the plate, but my guess is there's a moon and star insignia on the corner."

"Mother fuckers," I growled. The Vigil. I lifted my gun and waited, well aware that Niko was eyeing me with caution. They'd contained me once, they'd drugged and experimented on me, and I never really got to pay them back for the experience. Nik knew well I would shoot the first prick that walked in the door and with this in mind, he stepped into my line of fire. "Nik…"

"Gun down, blade out. They're humans. There's no reason to stoop to their level," he countered.  
I didn't obey, but I did lower my Desert Eagle as the first two unsuspecting lackeys stepped into the apartment. They took one look at the three of us and the two dead bodies and promptly dropped the supplies in their arms to hold up their hands in surrender.

"Sorry, we were told this area was vacant," one murmured; a stout man, compact limbs, an impressive black mustache and a scar that bisected one furry eyebrow. Beside him was another man, this one lanky with skin that probably hadn't seen the light of day for several months. His blue eyes had a bit of that staring-at-the-computer-for-too-many-hours look to them.

"We're just the cleaners, man." Ah, correction. Blue-eyes was high. Amusing. The rest of the group ambled up into the space outside the hall, peering over shoulders to see what the hold up was. The leader of this half-baked team squeezed by and my gun came back up.

"Oh, that fucking figures," I snarled. Samuel King; I was utterly not surprised to see him. Vigil croonie, George's uncle, and the man that almost unmade the world with the Auphe four years ago. He limped in front of the first two guys, regarding me with a raised eyebrow and no weapon. It was a step up from last time when I was trying to blackmail him into getting us into the Vigil headquarters so I could save Cassie. He arrived at my apartment with a gun that time, now all he had at his side was a tiny flare gun strapped to his thigh.

"That should be my line, Mr. Leandros. What are you doing here?"

"Friends of a friend," I replied.

Samuel snorted through his wide nose. "Paying your respects"

"Sure."

"Then I assume you'll be letting us do our job without incident." He motioned for his team to enter the building, ordering them to clean up quickly; they had another call waiting. I stepped out of their way, holstering my gun now that it was clear bullets wouldn't be necessary to take out the lab rats.

"What the hell is that?" Stocky whispered to High-as-a-kite. They had names embossed on their jumpsuits, but I didn't bother to commit them to memory. They were staring at Spartacus, unsure how to remove him from the carcass. I patted my thigh, catching the mummy cat's attention. Eyeing the hazmat crew, Spartacus slunk off the carrion and over to me, weaving between my feet before he clawed up Robin's leg to perch on the puck's shoulder. To give credit, Robin didn't so much as flinch; I knew how sharp those claws were too.

Robin followed me out of the kitchen, but where he moved off toward the entrance I spun to face Samuel. He wasn't in a jumpsuit like the others. Instead he was layered in as much black as me and Niko, only he didn't have the arsenal I did.

"Sammy, I have some questions for you."

He didn't seem particularly frightened by me, but that might have had something to do with Nik standing behind me ready to stop any vengeful act I might attempt to proceed with. "I probably can't answer them. This is a demotion if you haven't gathered. After I led you into the facility you ultimately escaped from they removed me from that clearance. I didn't know much about the Preventative division to begin with, but I have no idea what's been going on within that division now. I'm not even allowed beyond the lobby level."

I glared. I didn't care what they did to him. He aided their little experiments, whether his hands were on the scalpel or not. "I just want to know what they did to us in there. What they were planning for Cassie."

He ran a hand over the dark skin of his cheek and rubbed at one temple. "I don't know, Cal. My assumptions are just that and I doubt they hold anymore credence than yours. That division of the Vigil is under review right now, because of your escape and Goodfellow's threats. They don't know if they want to remain indebted to a puck or if they should just clear out and cut losses."

"That would be a lot of loss," Niko observed. Robin had told us the deal he made with Samuel; he didn't want Ishiah to have to pick up the literal pieces of his brothers after Castiella and Nik slaughtered them and I didn't blame him. It was nice having leverage on the Vigil anyway. One false move against any of us and another would tell the _paien_, preternatural, world all about the little labs the bastards had. We would reveal The Vigil weren't the silent observers they claimed to be if we had to. Apparently, that was enough of a threat that they hadn't even shadowed me or Robin for months, even after we exploded their second largest facility.

"Better for it," one of the techs muttered from the kitchen. She was a handsome woman in the way that she looked like she could pass for the opposite gender pretty easily, especially with no make-up and her hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. She stood just as tall as her male team members and almost as broad; not that such was saying much -most of these cleaners were pretty scrawny. Samuel cleared his throat to try and get her back in line, but she wasn't having it. "I don't agree with their actions. You should know that many don't. Those labs are cruel and inhumane."

"Bennett."

She disregarded her superior's warning and stepped up next to the fridge. "Don't act like you disagree, King." She panned her eyes over to me, they were an interesting brown –more yellow than chocolate and rather intense. "The nonhuman monsters of the world should be killed or contained, no different from human monsters. For a long time I thought that was all of them. But then there are nonhumans like you and the puck that were imprisoned there. As well as beings that were no more harmful than a human with a slingshot. Some nonhumans are not much different than humans on the primitive level. They just want to survive; there is no sin in that. And really, what sinful thing have you done recently?"

I considered a joke about masturbation and the holy bible, but refrained. The truth was I hadn't been a very bad boy recently. Other than slaughtering my 'brothers and sisters' in Nevah's Landing and some might consider that pest-control. The last humans we had killed were of the Vigil and it had been indirect during the explosions that set me and Cassie free. As much as the urge hit me on occasion I didn't kill unless it was merited. Threatening and harming were completely different animals though.

Bennett smiled at my silence; it actually made her more feminine. It suited her. "I'm guessing the silence is because you can't think of anything."

"He killed humans, Bennett," Stocky interrupted. "He killed our colleagues."

"Because they were hurting him. You can't cage an animal and not expect it to fight. It's the basic nature of all of us; fight or flight." She returned to look at me after admonishing her co-worker over her shoulder. "You want to know what they did to you and the girl. I can't tell you anything for sure, but there are rumors—"

"Bennett," Samuel said sharply.

I rolled my shoulders in growing irritation and cast a vicious look upon their leader. I wasn't against throwing him up against another wall, or knocking him out and forcing Bennett to tell me what she knew.

"We don't have the time. The Kin have been on a bloody path, searching for something," Samuel told me as if that would sequester me. Bennett sighed then went back to helping her team with hefting the female wolf into a body bag. "It's like an arms war. They are all trying to get to the treasure first, but we have no idea what it is."

Which meant Delilah made the mistake of telling someone she knew how to become All Wolf. They were all after Rafferty and the stubborn bastard wasn't answering our calls. He answered one –the first one– to tell us to stop being babies, he was on his way. Moron. It wasn't just Delilah now, it was all the Kin. How the fuck were we supposed to stop all the Kin and, damn it, I knew Delilah wouldn't kill Dante without reason or me witness to it, but if another pack got him…

"Is it you?" Samuel asked. "Are you what they're after?" He probably saw the deadened look cross my face. I lifted my eyes to refocus them on his searching gaze.

"The Vigil. Those rumors. Did any of them talk about those bastards fucking with Cassie's hormones? Implanting eggs into her?" I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if the Vigil knew. They were the observers, they saw almost everything that went on in this city. They could track down that van and I could get my son back and if they tried to take him from me, Bennett would see what a monster truly was.

"Cal," Niko hissed and tried to pull me back from Samuel. "We don't have time for this either."  
I shrugged him off and bared my teeth at him. Didn't do that often, not to Nik, but stress and fear did not condone a very sane little brother. "I want to know!" I spun back on Samuel, lodging my arm against his throat and shoving him back against the door frame. I felt his flare gun nudge to my thigh. "A flare gun isn't going to kill me."

"No, but a tranquillizer gun will drop you before you can kill me," Sammy replied even as I choked him. I tensed and glanced down again. All right, so now I knew what a tranquillizer gun looked like. I already knew what they could do to me, but the last time the Vigil had known who they were facing, would have planned for sedative that could take down a half Auphe. This time Samuel had no idea I would be here, so did I chance that the tranq wouldn't fell me even aimed at the artery in my thigh or did I just let go and try for another avenue like Niko was pleading?

I eased up on his throat, but didn't let Samuel go; I was never one for the easy road after all. The movement that had flourish behind me settled and when I glanced over my shoulder Niko and Robin were holding two of the techs hostage with blades. Niko held Bennett with a short throwing knife to her ribs ready to puncture a lung and Robin held his long sword against High-as-a-kite's carotid. Apparently, when I attack they had tried to as well. Not too smart. The other two were unconscious on the floor with the half-cleaned mess the Kin left behind.

"I told you what I know, Caliban," Samuel surrendered. He always was a good guy. He didn't want his team hurt…just like me. I respected Samuel for a lot of things, I didn't trust him and didn't like him, but he was still a good guy and I still respected him. "Everything else is all hearsay and rumor. Everyone has opinions and all are different." I tilted my head to indicate I still wanted to hear it. I didn't care if they were rumors; rumors came from some kind of truth. "Some say the Preventative division was attempting to create a weapon, some say an ally, either out of the two of you or from the two of you. I don't know any more than that. Please, let them go."

"And they thought they could contain us for that long?" I hissed out. My mind going a mile a minute. The Vigil really did want to create Dante for their own purposes, but what a fucking gamble! To think they could keep Cassie and I locked up for so long? They thought we would just obediently raise our son however they wanted? They thought we wouldn't break out the moment he was more than a bundle of cells? Or had they planned to kill us when Dante was born? And we had no idea, we had no clue it was even possible when we got out much earlier than they planned. Cassie left me…right afterward, she left me to stop the Auphe. What if she'd been impregnated by _them_? I knew those malicious pricks had done it before; trying to breed her and create their next big thing. There were so many things that could've gone so catastrophically wrong!

"Caliban, I don't mean you any harm. I don't trust you anymore, but I don't mean you any harm. So please, let my team go. We're just here to clean up the Kin's mess."

"They're after someone they believe can create the All Wolf," Niko explained. Samuel straightened under my hold in surprise. My arm was on his chest now, no longer choking him, but keeping him in place. Nik and Goodfellow released their hostages, though no one moved from their standing positions. "I believe the Lupa pack started this race to the holy grail."

"Is there merit in the claim? Could someone really turn a werewolf into a wolf?" Bennett decided to join the conversation again; I kinda admired her fearlessness either that or I pitied her trust in people. Namely me. Nik said nothing in response to her question, frowning.

"That doesn't matter," I answered for him. "Not to me. What matters to me is that the Kin thinks we know where this idiot is and they want us to tell them." I stepped back from Samuel and the tranquillizer gun went directly back into the holster on his thigh. I felt my voice loosing its bite, but didn't stop; maybe the human waver would help my efforts in getting them to help me. "The Vigil's little experiments on Cassie worked. She's dead because of it and now the Lupa pack has my son. They'll kill him if I don't bring them what they want."

"Your son," Samuel repeated. "Castiella produced a child?"

"You're lucky it's my son. She was in Tumulus for the past eight months, imagine if it'd been one of them." That silenced Samuel and he looked over at his conscious team. It took him a little while, at least thirty seconds, to process what I was saying. He took two steps into the kitchen and pulled out his gun, shooting a dart into the corpse of the male through the half open body bag. No one jumped at the action, though it confused the hell out of me.

"Lawthers," he barked at his tech under the influence. High boy startled into a bit more aware state. "Call in for back up. Tell them the male was still conscious and attacked us. He knocked Edwards and Kinner unconscious, before the dart was administered. He died unconscious. Bennett and I left to see if we could track the Kin that were here."

"Do this often?" Goodfellow smirked. "Because if so many of the famous and political deaths are becoming less of a mystery the more time I spend around you Vigil."

"No, I don't do this often," Samuel growled. He looked at me. "This child, how old is he?"

"Barely two years," Niko answered. "Time in Tumulus accelerated his age."

"And his mind?" His eyes flickered between me and Nik. "I don't want to be rushing in against orders to save a child that will one day destroy the world."

I set my jaw. Not sure how to respond to that. If I could help it, if I could raise him well enough I hoped that I wouldn't come to that, but he was half Auphe. We couldn't deny the danger there. "I can't say that he won't, but right now he's just a scared little boy." There, that wasn't a lie or false hope.

Samuel looked over to Niko for confirmation and whatever he saw in my brother's face provided it. "How can I help?"

"The Lupa have him and another mixed bred child in a van. Black, plates unknown, but it will be in constant movement, weaving through the city." Niko explained. I noticed that he failed to tell Samuel it was his niece that gave us that information. Part of me wondered how Uncle Sammy felt about her gun-toting boyfriend.

Samuel grabbed Bennett's arm and guided her in front of him. High boy, who I figured out wasn't actually high, just high-strung, was obediently calling in to the Vigil relaying every aspect of the message with ease. It would give Sammy and Bennett time to stay off the grid; and honestly, they _were _tracking the Kin, possibly even the ones that hit this apartment. "I'll keep in contact, tell you when I find it, but I can't help you anymore than that. If the Preventative division finds out their experiment was successful they will sent a Ghost team in to try and retrieve it. I'll try and keep them in the dark for as long as I can, but I make no guarantees."

"If the Vigil takes him, I make no guarantees either."

Samuel stared at me for a moment, the side of his mouth pulling into a sad smile. "I would never blame you for anything you do to keep your family safe."

It was a jab as well as a truce. He was asking for forgiveness for what he had done to save his brother, for how he had treated me after I'd gotten his niece into trouble, for his decision to join the Vigil in order to keep his own and so many other human families safe. I said it before, he was a good guy. Better than I could ever be, but for everything I would do for my brother I wouldn't...no, strike that I would make a deal with the Auphe in a heartbeat to save my brother if I believed for a second they'd uphold their side.

Suddenly I felt a little guilty for all the shit I piled on Sammy. He was an idiot for trusting the Auphe, but he was just trying to save his family. And here I was proclaiming death to any who touch my son with ill intent. Hypocrisy thou had a name and it was Caliban. "Truce," I offered with an open palm.

Samuel smiled a little wider and took my hand. "Just keep my niece out of this from now on."

I snorted; obviously he did know where we got that information about the van. "Like I can control her any better than you." He nodded in acquiesce.

We followed Sammy and Bennett out of the apartment, but we split at the entrance. They took the back and we took the front, it was a bit different than what we were used to. Robin clapped me on the back once we were trudging, defeated, down to the subway. "We'll make this work, Cal. We'll get him back." I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and he slowed beside me.

This was so fucked up. I wasn't even equipped to keep myself alive, how was I supposed to protect and raise a little kid? I had him for less than a week and his life was in danger. He was kidnapped, caged, and scarred for life and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't know how to find him, other than to follow the trail of bodies the Kin was apparently leaving behind or scourer the city blindly to track down that damned van. If they were even using the van anymore. Shit, what if they moved him?

Robin had been staring at me, not that I met his gaze. The emotions that were swirling in my chest made it burn; red rage, black guilt had been eating away at me from my stomach outward. It felt like acid to my cells, constricting any logical action that might reach my brain. I couldn't think of anything; not one single blip of an idea. My son was in danger, and I couldn't think of a damned thing to help get him back.

Robin grabbed my head, tilting it up to force my eyes to meet his. I smacked him away, glaring; there was only so much affection I could handle coming from the puck, especially when I was in such a foul mood. "We _will_find him, Caliban. Now I want you to go back to your apartment and pass out for at least an hour, I don't care if Niko has to drug you." He cast a pointed look toward Nik, who'd stopped a pace behind us. "I'm going grace my lover with my presences while simultaneously finding out everything I can among the tired, inebriated, and depraved patrons of the Ninth. Agreed?"

I didn't answer him, just stared with a more than likely blank expression. Robin tilted his head, a wicked smirk sliding over his features, even reaching his green eyes. I never wished to know what lecherous and unspeakable things that went on in Robin's head and therefore he surprised me with how fucking far he would go to get the reaction he wanted sometimes. Like now. Because he didn't like listless Cal, he decided to awaken horribly appalled Cal.

My gun came out the moment he grabbed for me again, but he caught it and my nape before I could shove the weapon into his side or hip. And then there was no where to go; I froze for a split second like a child faced with their worst nightmare. I assumed he was attacking me to snap me out of my apathetic rut, which he was, but it wasn't the punch or slap I expected. It wasn't even a slap on the _ass_, which I would have expected. He had my gun wrist pointed high and wide, and my nape firmly in his other hand, so all I had was my injured arm free to grab his curly mop and wrenching his mouth from mine. From there it was my knee to his stomach, the barrel of my gun to his shoulder, and my free hand wiping at my mouth like a five-year-old that had just been kissed by Aunt Edna. "Loman, what the fuck!"

He rubbed at his shoulder, but otherwise looked unfazed. Actually he looked like a preening peacock. "Just giving you sweet dreams, my painfully young, tragically inexperienced, dear friend."

"I hate you," I growled, scrubbing my sleeve over my mouth again. The puck kissed me. That bastard finally crossed the line I had drawn with the thickest mental Sharpie I could find the first moment I met him. "Too far, Goodfellow, too damned far."

He chuckled, gave me a wink, and walked off down the street with his hands in his pockets and a whistled tune trailing behind him. I wanted to spit, but knew it wouldn't do much good; the puck had kept his tongue to himself, thankfully, probably well aware would I have bitten the ever-flapping muscle off should he have intruded that much. Niko was smiling when I looked over at him, still wiping at my mouth petulantly. It wasn't a blatant smile, but his blond eyebrows were raised and just one corner of his mouth quirked up.

"Some protector you are."

"I knew he wasn't going to hurt you." I glared. Nik shrugged. "Scar you for life perhaps, but no harm there."

"We'll see how smug you are when he tries that on you," I growled. "We all know which brother he's partial too." Niko snorted as if something like that was unheard of. Honestly, I doubted Goodfellow would have been able to get past Niko's defenses and I knew he tried before. I knew why the puck assaulted me too; I knew because he succeeded. I felt something other than rage and guilt and that balanced me. Granted it was pure disgust, but it differed from my recent emotional repertoire.

"You find this funny." I snapped. Niko's smile was growing as he followed after me when I started walking toward the subway. "Your little brother was just molested by a lust demon that has apparently lost the meaning of monogamy and you're laughing about it."

"Don't get your panties in a twist; I hardly think he's willing to give up his declaration to monogamy or devotion to Ishiah for you." I felt the twang of the flat of a blade against one heel and glanced back. Apparently, he didn't trust Robin not to hurt me as much as he claimed; his katana was unsheathed.

"Son. Kidnapped. Focus, please," I snapped. Not that we could focus on much. The demand sobered my brother back into a frown and he returned his weapon to its scabbard. I sighed and ran my hands over my face. Damn it I smelled like a fucking forest now; puck cooties all over me. "Let's just go home." It was all we could do. Sit and wait...I was never a patient person, I could not stress this enough.

I didn't have to wait long for my nightmares to be realized. And, honestly, I could have waited longer.


	13. Chapter 13 Catcher

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Catcher**

I paused on the last step down to the sidewalk and let my shoulders sag. She was looking at me with such a hopeful expression, pausing in her pacing back and forth in front of the car with her hands curling one lock of hair around her finger again and again. Lovett was leaned back in the drivers' seat, casual with sunglasses on, but I knew he was scoping out the area. It was a risk coming to Tarv's place and by the smell of the apartment I wasn't the first to risk it.

When I walked in, I could smell bleach-cleaned blood, wolf blood. But I also caught the scent of murder and shadows, and I didn't mean the events that probably had taken place their home. Tarv and Arana were killed in there, there was no doubt in my mind –probably by the Kin– but it was the subtler scents that drew me to snoop. The tang of human sweat, a hint of greenery where no plants were present, and just a whiff of Auphe. Caliban had been here with the company of his brother and if they found Tarv, then the Kin probably found Tarv first. And promptly killed him and Arana once they knew the couple didn't know where Raff and I were anymore.

I didn't stay long, since there was nothing to find there. Tarv wouldn't leave Caliban's address lying out; he would have found out where the boys were then kept that knowledge in his head. I sifted through a few scattered papers on the writing desk in the spare room, the junk drawer in the kitchen, and moved around books on the shelf in the living room just in case, but as I figured there was nothing. So I headed out to the street where I found a pair of dark mahogany eyes fixed on me, waiting for an answer I couldn't provide. I shook my head minutely, but knew my expression alone probably told her I found nothing.

"Sorry, Cassie," I murmured when I came close enough. Her thin shoulders curled in toward her face and her eyes darted to the ground. I brushed my hand over her cheek, tapping her round chin to lift it. "Well, find them, sunshine. Let's try their old apartment. Maybe their landlord will know a forwarding address?"

She gave me a dubious look, one side of her nose wrinkling near the nostril as her upper lip sneered on the same side. "Really? A forwarding address? You realize they don't even have a single ID with their real names on them?"

My jaw worked through a few movements, but I didn't really have anything to say to that. She was right. The Leandros boys knew how to hide and they knew how to hide well, even in a city where anything that was supposed to be secret became common knowledge. "I'm up for suggestions then?"

"The Ninth Circle," she said with complete affirmation. She even spun to get back into the car, paused with the door open, then shut it sharply. "Lovett, go on back to Rafferty's place."

"Wha?" Lovett meeped from the driver's seat, arching his back so he could look over the headrest at her.

"This is New York," she replied easily. I stumbled back a step when she brushed by me, obviously on a mission. "We'll take the subway."

I watched Cassie go, then glanced back at Lovett. He shrugged, sunglasses still hiding his eyes. After another moment of hesitation, I nodded for him to go and went to catch up with our wayward hybrid. It didn't take long. Cassie wasn't taking her time, that was for sure, but my legs were almost a full foot longer and my gate ate up the distance without much effort. "Hey, speedy, what do you mean by ninth circle? You don't mean that in the literal sense do you?"

"It's a bar. A peri bar, owned by my uncle." She spun on her heel and gave me a smile. "Now keep up, fido. Nose to the ground. I need to find my kid." I smacked her arm, shoving her back around to face forward.

She almost convinced me with that sultry smile and the forced skip in her steps to hide her limp, but she was scared. She might be able to feign the facial cues, but she couldn't mask her scent and the salt of flushed skin and nerves were sharp. Manhattan was a packed city, if the brothers even remained here and didn't move to Queens or even Staten Island. They were constantly attacked due to lack of luck, lineage and the general waves that they cause among the supernatural community. I wouldn't blame them if they wanted to hightail it to an address that the Kin didn't know by heart as well as nose.

I stepped up behind her, matching her gate and clamping my hands over her shoulder. "You're faking it again. Remember what I said about that?"

"Sorry," she sighed and slowed down enough that she could rock back into my chest for a moment. "I'm trying, but how would you feel? What if you lost Rafferty? No idea where he was? No idea what kind of trouble he was in, because he's _always_in trouble."

I hugged her, stopping us on the sidewalk. The street wasn't busy, but there were still plenty of humans veering around us; humans, they didn't know why they avoided the predators of the night but at least they were smart enough to do so subconsciously. I spun her around when I felt her give of a frustrated sigh. "I get it. I do, but what if your uncle doesn't know where they are…"

"My uncle is Ishiah –Robin Goodfellow's boyfriend, Caliban's boss. I think he'll know."

I tilted my head to the side and gave a shrug. Fair enough; he probably would know. "Right then, lead the way."

The way was two separate subway trains and a six block walk down a very shady street. It was mid-afternoon, so the grime and litter were clear in the gutters, but at least the nightmares and riffraff weren't about in the sunshine. Of course, that also meant that her uncle's bar was probably closed. I didn't mention this, not wanting to bring her down again when she was trying so hard to stay positive. We stopped in front of a three story building that obviously had apartments rented out above it. It was a typical New York building, with concrete chipping and missing shutters, but the first floor was something wholly other. The front was made up of several glass windows, one of which had recently been replaced and still had tape around the frame on the inside. My guess was that probably happened pretty often. Peris were known for their tempers and with the crowd of critters this bar attracted fights were more than likely a nightly occurrence. Outside were several large trees climbing up to the second story windows. Inside were a scattering of smaller trees that looked like they wove their way right into the rafters. Maybe the apartments immediately above _weren't _rented out, or they could be residence to peris; the winged non-humans were fond of wooden areas. They were too civilized to actually live there, but they certainly liked to bring the culture with them. By the flicker of colored shadows in the dimly lit room those trees were inhabited by friends of the peri, again bringing their culture in. Other than the smaller avian wildlife it seemed to be empty.

"Don't think they're open."

Cassie snorted and plucked a bobby pin out of her hair; actually no, that wasn't a bobby pin that was a lock pick. She went at the deadbolt like a pro, unlatching it. She did the same with the second deadbolt, a little faster this time. Cassie the door swing open wide with a flourished hand, inviting me in. I smirked and shook my head. "You really were best friends with a puck for a few centuries, weren't you? But regardless." I stepped through the threshold and splayed my hands to motion around the main room. "No one's home."

Cassie frowned and took in a deep breath, not that it would help her much. She didn't have a Wolf's sense of smell, so I could only imagine the heady mix she was breathing in. Foliage, bird shit, alcohol, and varying other scents from the patrons, including several peri scents that were all remnants. No one was here now. I couldn't hear anything, not steps or a heart beat, nothing rustling in the back rooms. Just the air conditioner kicking on with a moderate rumble. Cassie came to same conclusion a moment later and I saw all that optimism draining from her entire body.

"Could you call him?" She gave me another dubious look.

"I may seem well adapted, but I have been in and out of Tumulus for the past three hundred or so years. You really think I know how to use an Iphone?"

I smirked. "Well, at least you know what one is. Do you have his number or is that a stupid question too?" Her look said it was, so I dropped it. "I'll check out the office, see if I can scrounge something up. I'm sure he has an employee listing or something."

Cassie didn't argue, so I meandered. I weaved around a Fichus tree, eyeing the birds perched within the branches and daring them to dive at me. The bar was pretty standard, taps behind the lip, glasses hanging overhead, top shelf liquor literally on the top shelf. I slipped down the hall to the right, finding it much less decorated than the nature-hippie main floor. I paused when saw back door at the end of the hall. The formerly green metal was rented with four distinct claw marks that were almost deep enough to rip through. They weren't made by any werewolf or succubus, those were the same razor-thin indentations that were slowly healing along Cassie's chest and stomach. If that wasn't a calling card that Cal –or at least his extended family– had been here, I didn't know what was.

My muscles stiffened when I felt movement from the open office to my left. My instincts saved me from being run through by a thick broadsword, but he still managed to slam me in the jaw with a strong upper cut. I didn't catch his scent or the sound of wings unfurling to my surprise, but then considering I could only smell that earth scent that came with most peris when he was thrusting me against the wall, it reaffirmed a little of my confidence. Something was masking it, an anti-cologne. And I probably hadn't heard his heart beating because the air conditioning hadn't stopped rumbling through the whole building.

I kicked him in the thigh, but he held me in a vice around my throat. So the next kick slammed into his stomach. That got him. He doubled over and I wriggled out of his hold, if only for a second long enough to look him over. He was a broad peri, long blond hair in a ponytail at his nape and dark brown eyebrows in a strong furrowed slash across his forehead. He was handsome enough and the scar along his jaw would make any Kin envious of the battle wound. I held up my hands in surrender as he lifted the sword again, eyes blazing gold with that infamous peri temper.

"Back off, big bird. I'm not Kin." I figured that was what the sudden attack was for. If the Kin were after the Leandros brothers then they were probably scouting and threatening their every contact. The peri didn't want to hear it, though; he swiped the sword at me again. I ducked, cringing when it hit the wall and embedding a few inches in. I bolted under the blade and back toward the front hall. One, I didn't like fighting and two, I certainly didn't want to fight someone Cassie might know.

I also hadn't meant to crash into her at the end of the hall; apparently she had heard the fight and came rushing over to help. We went down in a pile on the wood floor, before I flipped over her onto my feet in and crouched. She rolled and sprang in front of me arms out in a placating manner rather than defensive. "Uncle Ish, wait!"

Oh lovely, she knew him. That made things a little easier. I stood up behind Cassie, keeping my arms raised to stave off any residual belief that I might be an enemy. Her uncle's attention wasn't on me anymore. Wide eyes, now blue gray, were fixed on Cassie, mouth slack with shock and sword barely in his grip anymore. "Castiella?"

"I know," she paused to swallow. Her fingertips looked to be shaking as she held them out. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see. I know you must hate me for...I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt them—"

She cut off when the peri dropped the heavy sword. It clanged and teetered on the wood floor hard enough to make me cringe and leave scarring on the already abused surface. He took several long strides over to her, face fixed in something that could be interpreted as both shock and fury. Cassie's hands curled up to her chest in preparation of being struck, all the muscles in her back knotting with the same reaction. And I fisted my hands to defend her...against the most absolute hug I'd ever seen.

His much larger frame bent her back was he clutched her to his chest. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her I doubted she could breathe. It was the beautiful reunion that I had hoped to see, just not the person I expected. Not that such matter. All I wanted was for someone she loved to hold her and tell her she was missed. It made it that much better that he was peri and her uncle. Blood family.

"I can't believe it," he whispered against her crown. Little wisps of blond danced back from the current. He pulled back just as abruptly as he'd hugged her, clasping her shoulders. Over her head I could see his light eyes flickering to each of hers. His calloused fingers brushed over her cheeks, drifting over the scars there. "He told me you were dead. He thinks your dead, Castiella."

"Surprise," she said meekly.

"How is this possible?" It was so cute. He just kept brushing his hands over her hair as if it would prove she was there. Prove she was real.

"I met a healer; he saved me." He let off a breath and nudged his long nose to her temple. His dark eyebrows were dipping down in concern instead of anger now and his eyes finally darted up to me in suspicion. He even pulled Cassie closer to him by her nape to protect.

I gave a little wave and a smile. "Hi, still friend, still so not Kin." Apparently that was enough for him to ignore me again. He cupped his niece's cheeks, pulling her focus on him.

"Why didn't you come to me? Even if you were scared to go to Cal, why didn't you come to me?" He brushed her autumn-toned hair back like a father celebrating his daughter's return from running away or maybe a military tour. He even kissed her forehead. "I could have helped you." He reached down and touched one palm to her scarred stomach. "Both of you."

I could hear Cassie swallow hard enough to be audible to human ears. "Do you know where they are? Cal and my son...I can't find them. I don't really know where to look. And my senses are still a little dull since everything is focused on healing me."

The peri frowned. I really had to start correlating him with Ishiah; Cassie's uncle and Goodfellow's lover. That second one was still a little unnerving to think about. I always assumed the puck was a pitcher in a same sex affair and I just couldn't (and didn't want to) picture this bad-ass peri baring himself all vulnerable like that to such a cocky bastard. Ishiah straightened at Cassie's plea. His eyebrows lifted, then pulled together again. He slid his hand over her shoulder to take her by the upper arm, motioning back down the hall. "We need to talk. Let's go sit down in my office."

Well, that didn't sound good. I waited for him to glance back at me in invitation as well. I didn't really want another tussle. I was always a lover not a fighter.

I followed a step or two after them, lingering in the doorway as Ishiah practically had to force Cassie into a sitting position on the beaten up leather couch in his office. "Ishiah, I just want their address..."

"It's a little more complicated than that, just sit." He stepped back once she had complied and remained on the couch. His wings had vanished so he could perch on the edge of his desk. "I wish I could..." I saw the look on Cassie's round face and her uncle obviously didn't want to mess with that temper anymore than I did, so he came out with it. Dropped the bomb without regret so to speak. "The Kin have your son."

Shock didn't begin to cover the scent that filled the room like thick honey and vinegar. I cursed under my breath and knocked my fist to the door frame. It didn't help that Raff and I thought that was what the ominous silence that lingered in Niko's message said. The Kin had taken Dante, because of me. Because of my stupid postcards that did nothing but let me brag about being on two feet again.

"What do you mean?" Cassie whispered in disbelief. Unfortunately she had caught my reaction as well, mahogany eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Robin hasn't told me much. Just that the Kin ambushed them while Cal and Niko were on a case that the Kin were involved in. It was a set up to get to the child. Apparently the Wolves found out there is one of their kind that can create an All Wolf and they're demanding Cal connect them with that Wolf or they will take the boy's life. I'm sorry Castiella..."

"Did you know about this?" she snapped and, shit, her eyes were still locked on me.

I cringed. "Not more than assumption. Raff got a call from Niko telling us not to come. That something was up with the Kin, but we figured they would be able to keep the damned mafia out of their hair until we got you to them."

Her gaze didn't waver, but the rage in her scent subsided. "You didn't tell me, why?"

"Because I may have only known you for a week, but I know you. If you thought Dante was in trouble and if you knew we would be hunted the moment we set foot in New York you would have gated. You would have risked the Auphe honing in on you to save your son and protect me and my cousin. And it would have been stupid and rash and probably have gotten you killed."

Ishiah made a little harrumph sound, then cleared his throat when Cassie glared. "What?" the peri countered her sneer with a small smile. "He does seem to know you well."

Huh, now that I looked closer this guy kinda looked like Niko...or rather Niko looked like him. No wonder the puck had been cozying up to the elder Leandros so much the first time we met him. Blue gray eyes flickered over to me instead of stark gray though and there were a few more wrinkles around them. "I take it you're the Wolf that can create the All Wolf then."

"No, I'm the Wolf that used to be All Wolf. Not the best way to be either. Slowly losing your intelligence to primal needs. I nearly ripped out my own cousin's throat five times before I completely lost it to...our roots, you might say."

"And where is your cousin?"

I frowned. "I think it might be better that you don't know."

Ishiah lifted his dark eyebrows, then nodded once in agreement. Cassie sprung up from the couch like a catapult released. "Uncle Ishiah, please. If Dante is in any form of danger I need to know what you know now. Pleasantries can be exchanged at another time."

"I don't know much. Robin has been scouring the area for a black van in constant movement driven by werewolves of the Lupa pack. We don't know if the Lupa pack still has a hold on your son, considering that other Kin are involved now."

She crossed her arms under her chest in a gesture of fear masquerading as defiance. "A black van? That's it?"

"Castiella..." She shook her head, hands up in a sharp movement to silence him. Then she started storming out of the room. I stepped in front of her, catching her arms on instinct.

"Where are you going?"

"To save my son! Get the fuck out of my way!"

"Cassie, we don't even know where to start—"

She flung my hands away from her body, eyes blazing gold and a set of impressive white wings ruffling on her back. Well, if I didn't believe her peri before that cinched it. That Auphe blood had tainted even the angelic parts of her though; the wings were white, but barred with black, hints of deep red highlighting a stem or two in view. "I'm going to hunt them down. I _will_ find him and I _will_kill them. If you have a problem with this, go back to your cousin!"

I held up my hands as she strode passed me feeling, not for the first time in all of this, completely helpless. I glanced over at her uncle and saw him sharing my solemn look. "I just have one question before I catch up and make sure she doesn't get herself killed again."

There was a small twitch at the corner of the peri's mouth that almost looked like a smile. "Yes?"

"She thinks Caliban hates her. She fears he's going to reject her when she finds him again." I was asking if that was true and I'm sure he could hear the disbelief in my tone. A girl like Cassie, well damn, she would be perfect for the brat. She was strong and capable which meant he wouldn't fear her getting hurt because of him...as much. She was an adorable beauty and was obviously sexually involved with him and, honestly, who would turn her down. Her fire, her confidence, her near sunshine-gold spirit. And the best part for Cal, her darkness. Her tortured past was a selling point there. Cal had been through a lot of shit and she would understand and commiserate on every level. So why would he ever hate her for trying to protect him and trying to save him?

Ever so slowly that tiny quirk in his mouth dipped into a frown and he should his head. "He has been more lost without her than I have ever seen him."

I nodded curtly. Thought so. "I better go." I turned from the room and jogged back out onto the street. Peering down both sides I didn't see Cassie, but sniffing the air I caught a trail leading farther down the street away from the way we came. She shouldn't have been that far ahead of me, unless she gated...or flew. "Shit."

There was a sharp jingle behind me of keys and the bar's front door shut with solid thunk. I turned to see Ishiah coming down the stairs with a determined look on his face. "You drive?"

"Yes?" A set of keys sailed through the air in front of my face. I snatched them back-handed and watched as the peri continued down the street without breaking stride.

"It's the Explorer. Try and keep up." And he was in the air, above the neighboring buildings within a few seconds. I watched in awe for a brief moment; it was quite beautiful. The sun reflected off his wings like they were drenched in liquid fire, but all too soon he was almost just a flash of white on the horizon. I shook my head out of its stupor and dashed across the street to the silver SUV parked next to a meter that had probably been broken for years.

As I squealed the tires into a donut to turn around I could see his form joining another, both looked like large birds sweeping across the cloudy sky, hiding among the pinks and purples of the fading sun. I slammed my foot down on the gas and flew in my own right after them. Part of me thought shifting and bolting after them on four legs might be faster, but we would probably need a getaway car if we ended up finding Dante. I jerked the wheel, nearly clipping a parked car as I skidded around the curb. They were at least a mile ahead and another two or three above me, with a good distance separating them. Smart, they were searching nearly half of Manhattan like that; if their eyes were good enough for that.

They veered away from each other, one north toward the Bronx and the other arching east then south to Brooklyn. Since I'd just come upon the exit for the Brooklyn bridge I veered and followed the closer speck of shadow and white. I could only watch helplessly in traffic for a while. It wasn't rush hour yet, but the bridge was always the victim of careless accidents or just overpopulation. I squinted out at the horizon to watch the peri I'd followed dip down a few times across the city and take a wide swoop over lower Queens. The shadow always popped back up into the sky though, empty-handed. Getting off the bridge, I nearly lost sight of them. Broke a few laws along the way, including almost t-bone-ing a bus when I ran a red light. I hoped Ishiah had good representation because there were several photo flashes from the street lights I swerved and weaved through.

I caught back up with the lower swooping dot of white through Prospect Heights. It was Cassie; I could tell from her size. I barreled down back roads and almost took out a few pedestrians walking casually through the slums of Crown Heights. I came screeching to a halt when I saw Cassie's smaller form dive bomb down about two streets further into the urban decay. I waited, my eye on the skyline, but she didn't return to the air.

Hesitating only a moment, I threw the SUV into reverse, finished possibly my worse parking job ever, and leapt out of the car. I shifted right there, mostly because the hood-rats were eyeing Ishiah's rims and I wanted to scare the shit out of them. They would avoid the car now that they saw a large roan wolf snarling in front of it with the keys dangling from its mouth.

I kicked out of my pants and was off. Propriety could be worried about later. I could hear the sounds of a fight now, or rather the sound of heavy tires screaming for mercy and the feral barks and growls of wolves in the midst of a smack down. My claws scraped along the pavement as I dodged a car trying to flee the scene, just a sedan with an old lady looking like she was in the middle of a heart attack behind the wheel. Turning the corner I could see where that terror was coming from.

Cassie didn't mess around.

The peri wings were out, catching drafts and helping her pivot and launch away from the four female Wolves attacking her. Cassie grabbed one by the neck and whipped around faster than the Wolf could snap her jowls in her general direction. The force cracked something in the gray-coated female's neck, but it was the bite that slashed her artery. It'd been a while since I'd seen a humanoid creature be so vicious. The last time was Cal ripping into the deer on the highway, but I hadn't really been of sound mind then either so watching Cassie latch onto the Wolf's throat and come back spitting a huge chunk of flesh and fur was pretty disturbing.

But I understood her desperation. I could hear the plaintive cries of her son from within the van. Tiny and only whimpers, but he was scared and upset and wanted his mommy. Mommy was a little busy at the moment though.

Cassie lifted in the air with a beat of her wings to dodge the next blur of fur charging her. And thrust the heavy body into the idling black van with her wing. That left a nice dent in the side exterior. I dashed in to finish the job, while she tangled with another, but came up short when I noticed the one female still in human form, sitting on the hood of the van in tight pants and a cropped shirt. Not a spec of blood on her creamy amber skin. A beautiful creature that I knew had the most flawless white coat of fur when wolf. Delilah.

Right, so there went any chance that I ever got to tap that. If she was the one behind stealing Dante away then Caliban would have my hide if I so much as drooled in her direction and I would be damned to admire a bitch that would stoop so low in her ambitions as to threaten a child. I lifted up my lips to bare my teeth and let off a low growl. She seemed to catch the distinct difference of sound compared to her female pack and met my eyes.

Her thin eyebrows lifted over almond shaped eyes, they flashed a brighter amber in excitement and she hopped down from her perch on the van's hood. She walked through the fight as if it weren't even happening. The moment Cassie saw her, the hybrid powerhouse ignored the secondary wolf launching at her with full force and fang and lunged for the Alpha. She didn't make it. Brought down by another Lupa female by her wings. I tensed at her cry of pain and launched at the bulky female Cassie had butted aside. The shaken Wolf was on her feet again, but soon off them again when I barreled her into the side of the van. Before I could latch onto the furry throat exposed only for an instant, Delilah stepped in front of me with a hungry smile and a strong backhand to the side of my skull. "Hello, Catcher."

I snorted out some of the dust from my nostrils, the dampness in my snout making an impressive spray. How sweet, she remembered my name. I growled in response, hoping it encompassed every ounce of hatred I had toward her right now. She just smiled, wrapping a finger around a lock of white blond hair then tossing it back over her shoulder. I was glad to see she looked a little worse for the wear. She had several bullet holes scarred over pink and exposed like a new pearl necklace. Most notable was a nasty rent had scabbed over on her temple that looked like it had once been a bullet to the head that came dangerously close to ending her life. Bravo Caliban.

"The deal was for your cousin. Not the weak puppy that can't handle power of All Wolf." Delilah bared her teeth at me as well. The fact that they were near-perfect white and human didn't negate the intimidation of it. I knew how heartless she could be now and to become the first female Alpha...that premise wasn't lost on me. "You were right. You were what we strive for and you shunned it. Traitor. Useless ingrate!"

Cassie broke free from the wrangling werewolves and tackled Delilah to the pavement before she finished the last syllable. Obviously, the white Wolf hadn't expected my tenacious friend to survive her pack. Delilah had no defenses up and, as a result, Cassie almost managed to choke her out as she straddled the Wolf. Delilah was laughing, though it sounded more like a chortle. She wrapped one leg up and around Cassie's shoulders, turning the tables and pinning Cassie to the asphalt sideways. I snapped my teeth at Delilah's throat, but she dodged and the big bitch I'd been engaging before knocked the wind out of me with a bull rush and her skull to my side. I slammed my shoulder against the edge of the van, rocking it on its shocks. I recovered and leapt in a circle to stop the continued attack on my hide, but the concussion that the light-furred Wolf incurred knocking into the van didn't hinder her in the least.

I lost track of Delilah and Cassie's vocal battle as I reared up and had one of my own with muscle-bound blondie in front of me. It didn't last long though, one clawed swipe across my cheek and a vicious bite to her shoulder and suddenly I was rolling from a swift kick to the gut from something heavy that crashed between us like an anvil. I scrambled back on to my paws, but my fight was over with my adversary now halved with her thick blood sliding over the soles of black boots.

I glanced up, frightened for a split second then recognizing the broad peri brandishing a two-handed broad sword with one as Cassie's uncle. I snorted out a thanks, then swung around to see where I was needed next. The last unattended Wolf was the skinnier than the last and taking careful steps backward as she snarled at us. Cassie and Delilah were separated a pace and spitting threats at each other instead of slashing each other to bits. Though they also seemed to be catching their breath.

Cassie's wings were bloody and one she held at a weak angle. Her skin also sported several washes of red that would bruise within the next hour and a trail of blood down the bridge of her nose to the curve just at the side of her mouth. Delilah had her shirt nearly ripped off and a moon-shaped, jagged cut on her shoulder where Cassie had obviously tried to dole out another bite. She would have some bruises as well as a black eye and she was holding her arm as if Cassie had broken it. I couldn't tell since her flesh was smoothly hiding any fracture. She was still in human form, insulting Cassie with the underestimation, but Cassie hadn't broken out the Auphe guns yet.

"Give me my son, you heinous bitch!"

"Mangy bird, I will tear you to pieces and leave your bloodied corpse for pretty boy to find."

Pretty boy, I knew was Caliban and, though I highly doubted Delilah would win this, the thought that he would have to see such a thing made my stomach turn. My ears perked at the screeching of tires approaching and my nostrils flared at the scents. A Jeep lurched to an abrupt stop at the end of the street and from the interior emerged back up…for them not us. I snarled and Ishiah flipped his weapon to ready for another fight. It was another six females; they just kept coming, huh.

"Mangy bird? Mangy fucking bird?" Cassie growled. It was a growl too, not like a human with a grumpy tone, but a feral, vicious rumble that only her father's side of the family could make. Her eyes were still blazing gold, but even a brief glance and I could see the red blossoming like blood over a sun-drenched pond. "Is that all you think I am?" She let off a short, sharp laugh that I felt in my gut. Like glass ripping open flesh. "Of course you would, you self-entitled twat."

Delilah growled. She ripped off the rest of her mangled shirt, revealing two perfect breasts and a toned core. Damn it, she was hot. Cassie was stirring something in me too, though, when she took three defiant steps toward Delilah. She lifted her chin in glorious rebellion. "Let me clear some things up for you, _Delilah_. One, you were just a step short of crazy for taking my son away from Cal, you have no idea how daft you are to keep him from me. Two, Caliban never was and will never be yours. You touch him again…you look at him again and –if I don't do so tonight– I will skin you alive then cauterize the wound, slowly. I have watched over him and protected him for far too long to have you shit on one fiber of his happiness. Three," she paused dramatically here, stepping up directly in front of Delilah who was preparing to shift and rip Cassie's throat out. Cassie's hands were at her sides though, leaving her neck completely exposed as if teasing. "Do you really think that Caliban would match so perfectly with a mangy bird?"

With that her eyes burned red, almost glowing in the night. Her hands flexed and long black talons shot out of every fingertip, at least eight inches each and sharp enough to glint in the lamplight. Delilah tense and actually stepped back in shock. Cassie grinned. "Shocker, huh? How can this be? Another half Auphe, what is the world coming to? But I'm the first. I'm the original and I…have had a lot more practice."

Her hand swipe to the right, aimed toward the new Jeep and the Wolves shifting and loping closer to await their Alpha's call to arms. A foot in front of Cassie's palm the air rippled gray, then split with a vast inky black between. A gate. I felt my tail unconsciously slip between my legs and I scooted back onto the sidewalk, good thing too. A second later that rip lashed out horizontal, like a brush fire as wide as the street itself. That black void expanded all the way to the jeep and through it, but lengthwise. I could see normal space above and below it, but like the blade of a guillotine it mowed down every werewolf on her way toward us. They fell in pieces when Cassie reeled the gate back in and the Jeep whined on its frame, then the top half slid askew before toppling onto the asphalt with a loud crack.

That was possibly the most terrifying and more impressive attack I had ever seen.

Delilah seemed to think so too, for she body slammed Cassie's smaller frame, running her over as she shifted. Cassie raked her claws along Delilah's side, probably sawing through several ribs along the way, but that didn't stop the white Wolf from snapping her elongating jowl in Cassie's face and getting out one last phrase before she lost her human tongue. "Harbinger! You kill my brothers, I will taste your heart." Then it was nothing more than a rumble in her throat. She smacked her claws at Cassie's face, but the Harbinger evaded. Then Delilah was bounding off the small girl's body and dashing out of sight. Letting off a little yip, her last minion skittered off after her in a hasty retreat. One leaving a gushing trail of blood while the latter left a line of piss.

Cassie roared in fury and rolled over onto her knees to launch after Delilah. "Castiella! Your son!"

Ishiah's call stopped her in her tracks. Breathing heavy she stared after Delilah's white and red coat, flickering through shadow, then spun toward the van. I could still hear the little whines and calls coming from inside. They were so soft, hardly the sounds I expected. A child that scared would normally be wailing about now.

Cassie hopped onto the back bumper and drove her claws into the upper corner of the van doors, then used her weight and strength to slice it open like a sardine can on a diagonal. She did the same to the other corner, then withdrew the talons and started peeling back the torn edges. I didn't mention that it might have been easier to unlock it from the passenger's side door that was gaping open; it was probably better for her to vent her dissatisfaction this way.

I shifted back to my human form to help, accepting Ishiah's duster and tying the belt to prevent any mishaps to fleshier parts of my anatomy. The three of us managed to get the metal bent back enough to see within and what I saw made my heart both leap and shudder.

Within the van were two cages and a bench seat. One cage held a young girl no older than seven or eight with bedraggled dark hair and piercing black eyes. Her body was swathed in a fine mist, implying Wendigo, as did her pointed ears and silver-flashing pupils, but she obviously hadn't gotten enough handle on the power to slip through the sturdy cage. There was also a smattering of bruises in various shades along her face and exposed arms; the Lupa were not kind to her. In the other cage, the one closest to us, peered a tiny little boy whom seemed relatively unscathed. He gripped the rungs of the prison (several of which were split like a blowtorch as fine as a knife sliced through them) with chubby hands and bounced gleefully when he saw Cassie. There was no mistaking it; from the dark mop of unkempt hair and round gray eyes he was, no doubt, Dante Leandros. And he was the cuties damned monster I'd ever seen.


	14. Chapter 14 Cal

**Chapter Fourteen  
**

**Cal**

We got the calls that night. Three of them. The first was Promise -the vampire was holed up in her apartment recouping from her brush with massive, full body, third degree burns. Nik had gone to check on her while I was passed out. The jerk actually took Robin up on his suggestion and slipped some sleeping pills in my soda after we found the werewolves couriers dead in their home. I woke up five hours later, feeling hungover and a little more than pissed off at my brother. As emphasized by my refusing to speak to him through our dinner of vegetarian Chinese take-out. Of course, after the first call to his cell phone, my curiosity was piqued. I could tell it was Promise, but that didn't stop my leg from shaking under the table in anticipation of news, any news. Still I resisted.

"Being angry at me isn't going to do us much good, Cal."

I glared, stabbing a water chestnut with my fork and shaking it off into his white rice container. "You're beginning to develop this unhealthy habit of _drugging _your brother, I don't appreciate it. If you wanted a vampire booty call the roofies aren't necessary."

"You needed to sleep. You're no good to me or Dante injured _and_sleep deprived," Niko answered easily without one ounce of guilt. He plucked the tasteless block of vegetable I'd foisted on him, dunked it in soy sauce, and popped it in his mouth. I couldn't argue with his logic. I could rarely argue with his logic, because he was usually right. And I was usually reckless, thoughtless, and wrong. It was a happy marriage, really.

"What did Promise say?"

"Nothing new," Niko told me without hesitation. He snapped his chopsticks at my wrist, noticing that I was just shifting the noodles around and not actually eating. I wasn't hungry. Yes, that meant the world was ending, but who was I to stop it? Some people were stress eaters, hell I was usually a stress eater...or just an eater, but at the moment was stomach was churning with so much unsettled acid that the smell of food was starting to get to me. "She spoke to Robin, but no one seems to have noticed a suspect van. She said Robin followed a few leads he picked up from the patrons at the bar, but nothing panned out. I hate to say but I believe you might have been right to tell Samuel. We could use The Vigil's eyes right now." And if they tried to use anything more on Dante they would lose every limb on their bodies.

"Now that you're talking to me again, perhaps we could take the time to discuss some things I know you've been avoiding?"

I snorted, before stuffing a glob of lo-mien into my mouth. Niko watched me carefully as I chewed, waiting for me to continue. I didn't bother to finish; he hated when I spoke with my mouth full so the irritation was an added bonus. "Doubt it, whatever it is I'm avoiding it with good reason."

Niko frowned, munched on a little bit more of his sauce-covered rabbit food, then set his chopsticks down with purpose. I grimaced; that was never good. "We're going to get Dante back, there is no if, there is only when. So we need to talk about the future. What's going to happen? Do you want to move somewhere more child-friendly? Do you want to move out of the city completely?"

"Seriously," I growled. "Avoiding it."

"We aren't avoiding this, Cal." His tone was incredibly stern and his eyes were fixed on me. I wasn't getting out of this one. As much as I didn't like to use that lump three feet above my ass, sometimes it was just unavoidable around Nik. My shoulders sagged and I leaned back in the chair, glaring at my Chinese take-out containers as if they insulted me.

"I don't know what to do, Niko," I replied evenly and probably with a little more bite than needed.

"So concentrate on what you do know. We're keeping him?"

I sneered, appalled, before I realized Niko wasn't really asking, just prompting me to answer. "Of course."

"Which means we need to alter our lifestyle to accommodate a two-year-old. We need to stop taking such high-profile and dangerous cases. Perhaps we should end the agency altogether? If so we need to discuss proper jobs that will allow us to watch over Dante as well."

"Couldn't Promise just move in and be our in-house sitter/sugar momma?"

Niko smirked. "Well, need to move out of his apartment, so I suppose finding a place that would accommodate Promise's needs as well would be an option. She is fond of Dante." And they'd already been thinking about kids behind my back anyway. I sighed, thinking this through a little more than I'd allowed over the past few days. Moving from this apartment was necessary now that the Kin knew our location intimately, but would that solve anything?

The Kin would still find us. The dark and evil things that had a hard on for half Auphes would still find us. The Auphe would still find us. We could be happy as a puppy with a brand new tug toy in a fancy new apartment with Promise as my new sister and live-in nanny, Nik and I taking on new respectable morning jobs (well, Nik taking on a _respectable _morning job), and something would still go horribly wrong. The only reason Niko and I survived this long was because of our anonymity and now we had none, as proven by a random werewolf tracking us down to hand off friendly postcards.

"We should move," I said softly. "Out of New York." It was the reality. The Kin knew what Dante was. Even if we got him back they would probably target him again. New York was dangerous for a kid like Dante, I knew from personal experience. I groaned and dropped my head to arms folded on the table. "I don't want to move."

"Moving seems like the logical route, but then so does hiding Dante away from the world. I understand your fear, but you were right before. We can't shelter him for the rest of his life. If I had taught you how to defend yourself more, maybe they wouldn't have gotten you—"

I rolled my eyes; he was worse than a Catholic priest with this guilt crap. "Nik, I don't think Bruce Lee himself would have been prepared to defend himself against a midnight ambush from the Auphe."

"My point is I want to give him what we didn't have, and I know you want the same. This city...well, I think I might be our home now. You want it to be his too, don't you?"

I stared at my brother; the man who was constantly vigilant, always cautious, and never anything less than logical to the point of aggravating the hell out of me was debating on the side of sheer fantastical desire. He wanted to stay, just like me. "Can Promise still move in?"

He smirked, gray eyes crinkling a little more than usual at the corners.

His cell phone rang again before he could answer and I wanted an answer; that was a big step for him and Promise and I didn't want to be making that decision for him. He put the carton of vegetables down and snatched up the phone from the table before I could. The screen said unavailable number, making my heart give off a little flutter. I put my fork down.

"Hello?" Niko put this one on speaker.

"Niko." It was said in a gruff, quick-drawl tone that I hadn't heard for a year now. I frowned and sagged back in my chair, tapping the carton of lo-mien away with the tips of my fingers. Not that I wasn't glad to hear the werewolf healer was okay, I just hadn't wanted to hear from him at all until this mess was over. Until I had Dante back on my hip to show off like a proper father, not the kind that lets their son get kidnapped.

"Rafferty?" Niko question, but didn't wait for the response. "Where are you?"

"Home. Why? Has Cal been stabbed again?" That was also said with the utmost gruff, dry sarcasm. Ever the caring healer, he was.

I didn't have the energy to develop a witty comeback, besides the fact that I did have a fractured arm and was overcoming a concussion so he had a point. Niko sighed, put the cell phone on the table between us. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come to New York."

"I can handle the Kin. There was something I needed to drop off here that was a bit more pressing than running off with my tail between my legs."

"Well, if you've dropped it off, I suggest you skip town."

There was a heavy sigh on the other line, also the sound of puppies wrestling in the background which was pretty damned weird, then, "Tell me what's going on."

So we did. Or Niko did. He told him about Cassie, my relationship with her, and what happened with the Vigil shortly after we left him and Catcher in Yellowstone. How we found Dante and how I felt Cassie die. He told Rafferty about the Kin and Delilah's grand scheme and he told him how we lost my son to the wolves. When it was all said, the line was quiet save for the whisper of early spring insects that indicated Rafferty had moved outside.

"I want you to come to my place. Now."

"Rafferty, we don't have time," Niko started and as if in reply the screen of his cell phone flickered with the third incoming call. Georgina. "We have to go, Rafferty. I'm sorry. I'll call you when we have an update."

"Come to my place. Understood?"

"Understood, when we can," Niko cut the line with him and switched it over to the other call. Both of us were already on our feet, already armed and ready to roll. "Georgina?"

"The van stopped," her light voice replied. Not the usually sweet whimsy I was used to. More strained and shaking. "Crowne Heights, Brooklyn. Somewhere near the hospital."

"Thank you," Niko answered and hung up before she said anything else. We were out the door in seconds; me leading as a first. Today _we _had parked illegally outside of the converted warehouse. I didn't want to mess with subway lines if the van was lollygagging around in Newark or White Plains. So, Eldorado number two was our ticket through the city streets. Niko drove, mostly because he knew I would cut corners too close and possibly flip the car with my need to get to Dante. We didn't have much time to begin with. The van could have stopped for snacks, or juice for the little ones, maybe a potty break...if they gave them those luxuries. I felt my blood boil a little hotter at that thought.

"Faster."

"Driving faster would only succeed in signaling someone we are in a rush to get somewhere. I don't believe we would like the Vigil, or Kin, or even the human police to know where we're going," Niko intoned, not even looking at me as I sat in shotgun. I did catch a flicker of his gray eyes in the rear-view mirror. "We're almost there."

"We're also being followed," I informed him, tilting my head to watch the headlights behind us take another sharp turn to keep close. They weren't being too subtle about it.

"I realize this. It's Samuel. One of the cleaners from before is driving." I didn't want to point out that such wasn't exactly comforting. Sammy already said he might not be able to protect us from the Vigil if they found out. And the 'cleaner from before' was clearly one of the guys Niko and Goodfellow knocked unconscious; it looked like Stocky to me. I didn't think they would be as amiable with helping us after we beat the shit out of them and threatened their superior.

I didn't like it. I fished my cell phone out of my back pocket and dialed Robin. We needed back up. He answered before the first ring even finished. "Goodfellow. Found the van. Crowne Heights."

"Domiduca be blessed," Goodfellow breathed back to me like I would know what the hell he was talking about. "I'll be there. I'm close." The line cut as he hung up, possibly the shortest conversation I'd ever had with him.

We had to weave through traffic outside of Prospect Heights due to an accident on the bridge westbound, but the roads less travel were better for us anyway, because the van was still there on some glorified stretch of back alley near Kingston Ave. My heart started picking up speed as we coasted to a stop near the tail of the vehicle. We had to squeeze around the dismantled roof of a Jeep, where at least half a dozen bodies were strewn about in pieces. Niko didn't brother to turn off his headlights or try to hide or even veer around the body parts that jarred our wheels. The black van had been hit. Not by another car or truck, not by another pack of Kin or some other shadow-lurking parasite...I could handle those things. I could fight that, but this...

I think I whispered a couple of curses as I opened the door and clamored out before Niko even put the car in park. "Cal! Cal, wait!" I wasn't waiting. I jogged the rest of the way to the van, eyes darting around the scene to take it all in; to try and find anyway to explain what happened without the truth hitting.

The back of the van looked like it had been torn open like a soda can in the hands of Godzilla. Deep razor gouges turned the double doors, swung open, into something like an aluminum matchbox car after a fight with a garbage disposal. The rest of the van was no better off, from what I could see. Large wolf-sized dents ran up and down the sides. I couldn't see the front, but I could see glass littering the road in front of the bumper. Everything was painted with abstract red splatters and littered with tuffs of fur and bare-skinned human bodies along with a few wolf ones. Three of them near this vehicle; one on the sidewalk in a pool of blood from being cleanly halved, one curled up against one tire, throat torn out and looking like she had a fight with a garbage disposal as well, and one half under the carriage of the van...or rather the majority of her was under the carriage of the van. All females. The Lupa pack. Man, they were being decimated pretty quickly.

"Cal..." Niko was beside me, had a hand to my shoulder. The Vigil's van had rumbled to a stop behind the Eldorado; engine still on and headlights casting our shadows over the remains of the Lupa's van. They didn't come out; I didn't blame them, because I knew what had killed these werewolves. I knew what had pried open the two cages in the back and stolen away my son and the poor uninvolved Wenca kid.

I felt my knees buckle, but managed to ease down to them without bruising. Niko's hand never left my shoulder. "They took him." This was it; this was what I had feared the moment I knew what Dante was. The Auphe had collected their next pawn. Those bastards had gotten what they wanted. I closed my eyes as the rage bleed from my body into the broken asphalt beneath me. All that was left was guilt, black, like tar and just as drowning. "They took him, Nik."

"We'll get him back, Cal," Niko murmured, not arguing, not trying to encourage the false hope that I was wrong. But there was no way we could explain this away. The Auphe took my son. And the only one that could get him back was me. I was the only one. I had to go to Tumulus. I had to face my nightmares. The nightmare of all nightmares and I probably wouldn't come back sane, if I came back at all. "Cal, no." And Niko knew as well as I did.

"Oh, goddess Clementia you spit on us yet again." I didn't hear Goodfellow's steps approach, didn't smell the usual waft of a heady forest, I didn't even register his shadow as it joined Niko's in playing against the lights shining across the mutilated van. "Niko, please tell me this was the attack of a rouge murder of harpies and not the grievous scenario my astute mind has derived."

"Robin, not now."

Everything was a bit muddled. Sounds of distant traffic complaining about gridlock were like the waves of the ocean during a thunderstorm. Niko and Robin sounded like they were in a glass room. The clank and roll of the Vigil's van door seemed five blocks away. The smells were faint: the smog clouds dampened, the blood of werewolves mutely acrid, even the stench of fresh piss in the alley lost its ammonia sting. I couldn't feel the chill of the spring night even as I shook as if it were winter. The only thing I could actually feel was the steady pressure of my brother's hand to my shoulder.

"Cal."

I didn't look at him; looking at him would only dampen my resolve. "I have to go."

"No!" The hand on my shoulder tightened; my muscles twitched beneath it. Niko dropped to his knee beside me, trying to call my attention. I shook my head. I had to get to Dante. That was all there was too it. I was all he had left. When Castiella left me to fight in Tumulus, I'd thought about it. I'd seriously considered ducking into hell to help her or just knock her out and drag her back to the safety of my arms and my apartment, but I didn't. Ultimately I was too scared to. And Cassie could hold her own... or so I thought.

I was insane for this decision, but I couldn't let myself fail at fatherhood his epically. Cassie died to save our son. I had to at least be willing to face my fears to save him. Because if I didn't, I had no doubt in my mind that he would return –in a year in a month– fully grown and probably more than half crazed from torture and brainwashing. Cassie had killed three peri clans after the Auphe raised her. It took her centuries –no, millenniums– to recover from what they did to her, what they _taught_her. If I didn't try and save Dante, he would be back and he would kill me to spite me. He would probably kill all of us if the Auphe demanded it.

So I let my gate curve around the contact of Nik's hand, not even a little concerned about shaving off some of the fabric of my shirt or skin in sacrifice. I had to do this. I had to do this without him. His panicked shout was tinny and distant as I let my body slip into another realm, another world. The sensation wasn't the usually giddy lift, much darker and sluggish with my guilt, though it still created an impressive headache. And it was all for naught. I expected Niko to try and strike me. Expected the rise of his hand to snap against the nerves in my shoulder and force me unconscious, which was why I gathered the gate around me quickly.

Not quicker than a dart to my neck though.

I felt a little pinprick of the needle sniper-accurate into the artery. I tensed in surprise, then saw Samuel out of the corner of my eye, lowering the dart gun from before. The tranquilizer flowed through my nervous system and veins lightening quick, leaving me only enough time to reel in the gate and let it fizzle out before it took my unconscious body into Tumulus to be ripped apart before I even woke. I would have cursed the bastard out should I not have suddenly been in my brother's lap, unable to move and pretty much paralyzed in every way. Nik snapped something at Samuel, but I couldn't make it out. He sounded pissed; not sure if he was mad at me or the Vigil groupies closing in.

"You didn't want him gating, did you?" Sammy argued; he sounded like he was inside an echoing tomb. The reverberation trembled in my skull painfully as did the scuff of his shoes near my legs.

"That wasn't what I had in mind."

Their voices were becoming less and less discernible even though they were arguing just above my head. Weightlessness was taking over my limbs and my eyelids drooped with the drugs. I could barely make out the fuzzy black blot of the van's back end, let alone the details of the blood spattered plates and one slashed tire. Then nothing, but the rippling effect of influenced sleep.

Sleep and dreams. Interesting ones at that.

The place I 'woke' in was neither in the same state or same decade as when I went to sleep, which was how part of me knew this wasn't real. But it felt real. It felt bitterly nostalgic and impossibly real. I stood in the center of a bustling carnival. The one Niko and I had lived in with our mother who swindled bright-faced couples holding tiny stuffed animals because the huge ones were unattainable since the games were as rigged as my mother's tarot card readings. It was one of those traveling ones, lights strung over heavy poles stuck into the ground, kiosks on wheels for every food and game station. The rides were so rickety that after one ride on the mini Ferris wheel, Niko forbade me from ever setting foot near one of the contraptions.

I kicked at an empty carton for knock-off brand Junior Mints, letting it join the pile of spilled popcorn and discarded paper plates. The grass was brown in patches due to a dry summer and I could feel the heat of the night air against my arms and cheeks. I glanced around in search of my brother, but ten-year-old me couldn't spot a glimpse of him among the mingling crowd of joyful children and their weary families.

I started walking around, drawn to the smell of funnel cake, but my body veered my direction toward the trailer that was inaptly dubbed the Fun House. I remembered this thing; it was pretty disturbing if only because it rocked under the weight of the lightest footstep and it look like the mirrored walls would shatter under the pressure of a feather. Still dream-me decided he wanted to go there, so there I went.

Maneuvering around the kids running back and forth through the room where the floors fluctuated like a uneven sea, I slipped into the hall of mirrors. I stood before one mirror, staring at my reflection stretched out in a strange manner that almost reflected what I would look like in ten or so years. The head in the mirror tilted to the side, but it wasn't in that inquisitive puppy way, it was creepy, distant, calculating. I stepped back, fear swelling in my chest. Those gray eyes, darker in this minimal light, bled red from the pupil out until they were glowing like lava flowing from a ruptured volcano. A smile spread over those thin lips like a snake in the grass, cracking the mirror in a spider web pattern.

And then the plastic shards exploded outward, following the motion of something dark and shadowed from behind. I cried out, stumbling on young legs not yet toned with daily (or semi-daily) five mile runs. The figure behind the mirror hit me with surprising weight. It threw me back against another plastic warped mirror, lodged an arm under my throat.

I stood eye-to-eye with him now; the dream shifting me into a vision of my current self, which was better since I knew I could fight now and I could feel the weight of my Desert Eagle under my left arm. He smiled at me, a row of almost perfect, almost white teeth glaring in the black lights above. And then I noticed, his chin was a little rounder, his nose a little smaller and upturned, but his eyes...they were identical to mine, when I was all Auphe-crazy.

I shoved back on my mirror image, trying to wrench out my weapon, but the other me caught it. He grabbed my wrist in a strong hand, and squeezed. He tsked me, red eyes alight with mischief. "That's not nice, daddy. You never let me play with your toys."

Dread hit my stomach like a punch by the Hulk. "Dante..."

He grinned wider, extending long black talons from his fingertips and into my armed wrist. I could feel the pain, oh I could feel it. Fire from the razor sharp of it, stinging as it pierced the skin, and throbbing agony that radiated from the tendons as it tore through. The warmth of my blood seeped down my forearm and stained my jacket. My gun clattered to the ground. "It's time to play, daddy."

Oh, please, just wake the fuck up.


	15. Chapter 15 Cal

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Cal**

I had no idea how much time passed, while I was stuck in my head fighting off my warped nightmare of a son. He was winning, by the way. Until my brain kicked me out into memory. I'd never been happier to be laid belly up in the back of a cab bleeding out in my brother's arms as I was at that moment. I relaxed in the rocking of the cab, eyes drifting shut against the flashing of overhead streetlamps and halogen headlights. I couldn't feel Darkling inside me in the dream even though he still inhabited me during this moment in time, but I could feel the pressure of Niko's palm on my sucking chest wound. I could feel his other hand brushing over my hair. "Hang on, Cal." It was nice, but it didn't last long.

With a shiver and a jolt, I peeled my eyes back to view a rather nondescript drop ceiling. The kind one would find in any cheap house addition. Tilting my aching skull to one side I saw several vacant cots lined up like a make-shift hospital room. It seemed a little low-income for the Vigil so I doubted I was locked up and it also felt vaguely familiar. Rafferty's place, my numb brain told me. I would have thought my memory had continued, if it wasn't for the fact that I wasn't paralyzed to the bed to prevent the bad and evil inside of me from gnawing through my brother and Robin's extremities. I still couldn't feel Darkling either. Instead I felt the absolute knowledge that his existence was impossible. I was forever safe from the bastard.

I took in a heavy sniff and caught an array of smells, not as familiar as they should have been in this memory. Cleaner and disinfectant, sure. The husky smell of wolf, definitely. The lingering grease of an egg breakfast, a little strange since Raff rarely had much in his refrigerator. And the subtle scent of earthbound-flowers...that was when I decided I was still dreaming. Well, that and the fact that I no longer felt any pain in my fractured arm.

I was still in some sort of dream of limbo. In any second a pink elephant would lumber through the room, or the cot I was lying on would be lost at sea, or some deep-seeded fear of my father would take the form of a black wolf foaming at the mouth or...hell, take the form of my father period. Or Dante as a hell-bent creature that the Auphe would create.

I squeezed my eyes shut before I turned the other way, before I saw the body that was causing the mattress to sag at my hip and dance warmth along my side. I tried to determine if I wanted to subject myself to this pain. In desperate need to see her, my heart screamed to turn around, while my brain was demanding I wake up that instant. My son needed me. There wasn't time for this.

Her fingers brushed over my cheek, tucking several unruly strands of black hair behind my ear. "Are you that mad at me? So much so that you won't look at me?"

"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad that my life sucks this much. Seeing you right now is gonna fucking hurt and I don't have time for this," I whispered, surprised that I could feel the rumble of disuse in my throat. "I need to wake up."

I felt the bed creak under me as she braced one hand on the other side near my shoulder. I stared at it; petite little fingers of milky cream leading up a thin arm, flawless save for old scars of pale white and light pink. I wanted to touch it so badly and knew that I would feel the warmth of her as certain as I felt the tickle of her blond hair brushing against my collarbone. I hated these types of dreams, where everything felt so damned real.

"Cali," she whispered. The scent of Hawthorne tortured my nose with nostalgia. Memories of when that woody floral fragrance was so deeply ingrained in bed sheets it smelled like her for weeks after she left me...until Niko finally striped the bed with me still in it. "You're not asleep."

My brow twisted and I tilted my head to look at her. Every detail was the same as I remembered. Her bowed lips in a little sultry smile, her mahogany eyes filled with the promise of adventure and deep love, her round face listing to one side to reflect the scant light from the windows on subtle cheekbones, her long neck foreshortened to the surprising erogenous hallow above her clavicle...I narrowed my eyes. Along the bone, three incomplete lines shown in the shivery thick raise of new scars. They trailed under the collar of her shirt and crawled over her neck to her cheek. I lifted one hand to touch them, confused as to why my mind would create such an imperfection in dream. One that hadn't been there before.

Her skin was warm and inviting against my fingertips and her lashes fluttered at the touch of my hand. "You feel so real...it's not fair."

"I am real, Caliban. I'm not dead and the Auphe don't have our son. He's in the next room."

I snorted. Of course he was, this was a dream after all. Granted most of my dreams reflected my life, which meant they were horrible nightmares and sucked ass, but every now and then –like now– they were the nice ones where everything fell into place. To be honest with myself, I kinda needed one of these nice ones right now. I shifted the pressure of my hand to cup her cheek with my palm, one finger lifting to catch a loose tendril of auburn and gold. "I miss you."

She laughed; the sound tightened my lungs with an involuntary hiccup. "Cali, I'm right here. Please, realize...," she trailed off with a sigh, taking my hand from her cheek and placing it on her chest. I could felt the swell of scar tissue under the pads of two fingers, while my palm encompassed the steady thump of her heart and the curve of one breast. "What can I do to make you understand this isn't a dream?"

"Not a...I don't think a dream is supposed to convince me it's not a dream," I argued. And as far as dreams went, forget the pink elephants, this was freakin' weird. "You're dead." She slapped me, rather hard too. My head took a brief spin with the jarring motion and my jaw burned long after the contact. I blinked back the tears welling in my eyes. "Uh," I grunted and rolled my jaw. "Owww, what the hell?"

"Not a dream," she told me emphatically with a lift in her darker blond eyebrows. Okay, so that was starting to become a little clearer to me. Not a dream, got it. But what she was saying, her _being _here, didn't make any goddamn sense. I felt her die. I saw the destruction of the van, only the Auphe could do that. The Auphe or Cassie and once again, Cassie was dead. So what did that mean? I was hallucinating and Niko was slapping me out of it, or maybe the Vigil really did have me and this was some lab test, or she was a shapeshifter demon only she could adopt the image contrived from my memory. Shit, did something like that actually exist?

Her expression softened to amusement, sullen amusement, but it was still familiar. "I can hear the gears turning in your head, little lamb, and I think it might be counterclockwise so why don't you tell me what's going on up there?"

"What are you?"

"The half Auphe, half peri you had unprotected, science-enhanced sex with which resulted in a destructive little bundle of joy both myself and your brother apparently named Dante. If I didn't, personally, know just how straight you were I might worry about the whole brotherly love thing, considering the growing list of similarities between me and Niko."

I wrinkled my nose. "Ew." Then I shook my head free of that thought to concentrate on others more imperative. "How? How are you alive?"

"Long or short of it?" At my dubious look she smirked. "Rafferty."

Then the pieces started falling in place. I wasn't dreaming. Cassie was alive, because she somehow managed to die at the feet of a healer werewolf with a soft spot for half Auphes, which meant she was the reason they were coming to New York despite our warnings, and she could have very well been the one to take out the Lupa and tear apart the van like that. I lifted my eyes to meet hers, my own heart thundering in my chest as hers beat smoothly still under my palm.

"I'm here," she told me, Cassie told me. She touched her fingers to my cheek where she slapped me, gingerly drifting the tips over my still stinging jaw. "Rafferty saved me and he and Catcher brought me here. Ishiah told me what happened to Dante and I hunted those bitches down. Our son is wrestling with two unruly werewolf pups in the next room and I'm pretty sure he's winning. He's safe, everyone is safe."

My fingers twitched against the scars on her chest, palm sliding back up to follow the jagged lines to her neck. They were fresh, barely a week old and the fact that they were still rough spoke deeply of how devastating the wounds must have originally been. The Auphe had killed her. I wasn't wrong about that. That feeling of suddenly disconnecting with her was real, painfully real, and emphasized by the fact that I still didn't feel her heart beat with mine like I used to. "They killed you."

"Actually, they almost killed me. Rafferty was the one that stopped my heart so I didn't try to disembowel him when he patched me up, but for poetic license, yes, the Auphe killed me." Cassie leaned down over me so our eyes were almost too close to focus on the other's gaze. "But I'm back and I promise I will never leave you or Dante again."

"I still don't trust that you're actually real, but I'm going to kiss you anyway," I informed her and pressed forward to take her full lips before she could refuse or rebut. A little moan cascaded from her lips and I collected it between my own. I gripped her nape and parted our mouths with urgency. She didn't fight it, actually she invited me in with the same wanton desperation. By the time we separated her lips were dark pink and her cheeks rosy with the same arousal coursing through my veins. My hands danced over her throat, her shoulders, her chest, disbelieving. "Shit, you're alive..."

Cassie giggled, then grabbed me by the front of my shirt to lock our mouths together again. She was alive. Castiella was alive. I felt my hands drift over her body as it loomed, unconsciously touching every inch of her I could get to without separating from her lips. Everything that had been numb, what felt like only moments ago, was now set to hypersensitivity. I could feel the muscles in her back bunching when she curled over me, I could feel my pulse double-tapping in my chest, which had tightened to the point that when I was breathing it was a staccato pant. Her lips were like fire to mine, trailing over my jaw to my throat. Damn, she smelled so good. I tilted my face to bury my nose into her dark blond hair, taking in a deep breath of the Hawthorne flower mixed with the tang of shadows. Who was it that said I smelled like murder and shadows? Catcher, maybe. Cassie had a hint of that, just a taste of danger, and then that sweet, warm wildflower perfume.

"I believe I'm facing the most devastating decision of my life," I murmured, hands braced high enough on her ribcage that I could feel the curve of her breasts under my palms. I dusted a few kisses to her crown before she turned her head and our lips met again.

She grinned. "What might that be?"

"Throwing you down on the bed and having my way with you, or going to see my son's alright with my own eyes."

She snickered, dark eyes alight with mischief. Cassie skated her fingers through my hair and dropped one more kiss to my lips. "We probably shouldn't get into the former here."

I groaned in disappointment, even if I knew she was right. We would no doubt be interrupted here, if not by my brother or Goodfellow, by Rafferty who would probably be pretty pissed at us for desecrating his surgery. I pushed back on her torso, which my hands were still wrapped around, to give distance between us. I would still need a minute or two calm myself and Cassie seemed to know –of course with our bodies as close as they were I knew she felt it.

She slipped off the bed and winked at me as she exited the surgery through the swinging door, heading toward the kitchen area. The house was pretty quiet for as many people as were supposed to be here, which meant they were probably outside. I took my time easing into a sitting position. The pain in my arm and head was pretty much gone, save for the usual lingering headache from traveling (or attempting to as it were). I checked out my arm and was surprised to find it wasn't even bruised anymore. I squeezed at the bones. There was a little discomfort, as to be expected, but it wasn't much.

Shrugging it off, I scooted to the edge of the cot and grounded my feet to the clean tile floor. This still felt like a dream, even more so now that I was alone. I started down at one particular section of tile, fearing that (like in nightmares) black ooze would bubble up from the gout and white, foaming blood would congeal until Darkling stood before me cackling like a Phoenix reborn. I closed my eyes, to erase the thought. Not dreaming. Not dreaming, and that bastard was dead. I saw to that after he hijacked my body for weeks and tried to open a portal to the beginning of time to unmake the human race for the Auphe –among other awful things.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Did you like Rafferty and Catcher's present?"

I glanced up, pulled from unsettling memories fitting back together in the web inside my head. Robin leaned against the threshold, looking pressed, clean and utterly exuberant. And why wouldn't he be? His best friend was alive again. It took my brain a second to catch up to what he said, mostly because thoughts of Darkling had triggered another chain of forgotten events to snap back into place. Rafferty and Catcher's present, which I assumed he meant Cassie, was the best gift in the whole world. I smiled at Robin.

"How does it feel to have your partner in crime back?"

The grin on his handsome face spoke more than he ever could, and that was saying something. He pushed off the threshold and continued in to the room. "I figured you might want a little background on what happened before you jump into the fray that is a werewolf barbecue outside." I snickered, but didn't stop him as he sat next to me on the cot. "I also figured that Cassie might not realize the extent of your distaste of this room. I know she would understand why, but sometimes there is vast truth to certain phrases and 'you had to be there' is one of them."

"Thanks, Robin," I muttered and ran a hand over the back of my neck. The spot where the dart hit was still a little tender, but I couldn't feel the puncture wound left by the needle, which had me assume Rafferty healed that too. "What the hell happened?"

"Well, as you saw, Cassie's alive. She apparently showed up on the beach where the werewolves were hiding out. They'd though it was you and how could they not? Violent gate, blood everywhere, half-dead body, if that isn't Caliban Leandros I'm not the greatest lover known to this world."

I glared. "You aren't the greatest lover known—"

Goodfellow laughed uproariously and patted me on the knee. "Well, you would have no concept of the invalidity of that statement, so I forgive you, but that doesn't change the fact that you are wrong." I gave up; I debated on needling back with the fact that Cassie wouldn't have any concept of the invalidity or validity of that statement either, just to poke fun at him for his epic failure in trying to coerce my girlfriend into his bed, but decided I wanted to find out what happened more than I wanted to cut Robin's ego. "Regardless, the healer saved her, housed her, and once they found out she had a son and you were the father, carted her up to New York for the reunion of a lifetime. Cassie went to Ishiah when she couldn't find you, who filled her in on...the events that got Dante kidnapped and off she went. Remember when Niko and I told you how pointless it would be to drive around the city until we saw the van? Well, apparently we were wrong. She did exactly what I thought was useless just at a different elevation; she flew around the city until she caught wind of her son, then promptly tore into the bitches that took him."

"The Wenca kid?" I asked, then as an afterthought with a deep growl in my throat, "Delilah?"

"Delilah hightailed it when Cassie sliced a gate through that Jeep and her faithful servants. And the young girl's name is Siobhan," Robin corrected me; he wasn't surprised I didn't bother to learn the kid's name. "She is home, safe and sound. Catcher and Cassie took her back and collected the payment for you, even if it would seem they should keep the bounty considering they completed the job."

I grinned. "Well, I believe half of Cassie's estate belongs to me now, so..." I could see the light in Robin's eyes change from playful amusement to near glee. He lips parted to start off on his constant prattling, but I cut him off. "That was a joke, do _not _start planning a wedding."

He snapped his mouth shut, still smiling secretively. "I do know a Baykok that's ordained. Quite fitting to since he looks frighteningly like the Auphe, just taller, bald, and less psychotic, but it would probably make the out-of-town relatives feel more at home."

"So Catcher and Cassie came back here with Dante when they were done?" I interrupted, changing the subject as fast as I could. Marriage –legal, paper-filing, marriage– was pointless. Hell, I didn't even know if I had a birth certificate; most Roms preferred to stay out of the medical system and legal system. And I knew Cassie predated anything governmentally-binding for sure. The spiritual act was just as lost on me considering I didn't believe in God, Allah, or any god that might be up there. Because if there was a greater power he/she/it was an asshole. The final step of marriage, the one that I never understood until I met Castiella, was one that still frightened me. The need to be with someone for the rest of your life, the thought that life would be much less bearable without them. I had that with Niko, but he was blood. He was my brother. Cassie...was something else.

"They walked in after Niko and I dumped your conscious body here. Your brother was a bit adamant on keeping you unconscious for a time, believing you might try to gate the moment you woke, or even do so subconsciously."

I tilted my head in consideration; that was entirely possible, especially with the nightmares revolving through my brain. "He was nearly screaming at Rafferty to put you under, when the little one toddled into the room and against his legs. It was really a beautiful reunion. A shame you slept through it." Still with the same cat-with-the-canary smile, Robin stood from the cot and offered a hand to help me up. "And just so you know, she did try and find you after Dante was born. Only you didn't remember your shoe size let alone the love of your life at the time."

I blinked up at the puck, processing those last words a little more slowly. "She came..." I rewound the weeks I was stuck in the small town in South Carolina, working in a mom and pop diner, and wearing gingham aprons. With sudden vigor I remembered her. She sat in one of the back booths, disheveled, bruised and looking a little homeless. Memory-less Cal assumed she was a lone druggie in a town of too-nice morons, but she had kept watching me. Pleading for me to come over, pleading for me to save her with those dark mahogany eyes. And it took everything I had to ignore her, because, without memory, the urge to rush to her side and jump in the pit of danger she was in seemed ridiculous. I had thought it was a shame since she looked pretty cute, but I hadn't remembered how much a frickin' loved her. "Shit."

"I take it you remember."

I paused, racking my brain for more detail in the memory. "She was alone." She had been alone, scared, and hurt. "The Auphe had him."

Robin nodded a bit soberly. "Long enough that half the sounds out of his mouth seem more Auphe than human, do they not?" I had to process that too, but he was right. Dante rarely made much of a fuss, but when he did he sounded like a grumpy Auphe.

"They're outside right now, but it's a bit of an ordeal so take your time assimilating here. Rafferty and Catcher have collected quite a pack and if I'm right, and you know well I can not be wrong regarding matters of the heart, I believe one of the females is the healer's mate. And if that is the case, he's now the proud step-father of two twin munchkin werewolves."

And that concept was almost harder to process than Cassie being alive. Almost. Rafferty never struck me as a family man, at least not with kids. His bedside manner was non-existent, though his gruff ways did remind me of some comedic tv dads. I shook my head to clear it of idle thoughts and ran my hands over my face. "Okay. Cassie and Dante are safe. You and Nik are safe. Raff and Catch are safe. Promise?" Robin chuckled and laid his hands on my shoulders.

"She'll be by after night fall. We are all safe, Cal. No Auphe attacks. The Lupa pack is down to a humble few. And the love of your life is playing outside with the fruit of your loins. All is well in the world," he gave a squeeze to my shoulder. "Take in a few deep breaths, Caliban. Things worked out."

I brushed him off and glared. "Really? Delilah got away, again. Tell me what you think that might mean? And the Auphe are still hunting for my son. And Cassie will become a target for them when they see she's alive. And now Delilah knows Cassie's half Auphe and I have no idea what she'll do with that information—" With a roll of green eyes, Robin cut me off by hauling me up from the cot by my arm. He shoved me in front of him, forcing me out of the surgery all the way through the back door and onto the porch.

Rafferty's backyard was huge and butting against a wildlife reserve with only a high, thick, wire fence to separate. He'd put that up when Catcher was still wolf and sometimes forgetting he'd been anything more than that. But now the ruddy haired werewolf looked perfectly comfortable back in his human form next to his cousin. He was taller than I imagined, but then all I had to go off of were a couple of pictures where he was either in a few feet of snow or wrapped in a hug with a much smaller werewolf. He was handsome too, like his cousin, both of them had an unkempt look and it worked for them. Catcher's auburn hair was a bit more styled, his clothes a little less careless, and his smile much more mirthful and ostentatious.

The pack they had accumulated wasn't very large, but it was still surreal to see anyone subjecting themselves to the Jeftichews. Especially strange, since one of the pretty females was looped around Rafferty's arm with more than affection reading between them; I supposed Robin was right about that one. Seeing two little boys rolling around in the excessively overgrown grass made the sound of wrestling puppies on the phone make more sense. They were bound to get some ticks, but I doubted they cared.

My brother looked up when I stepped out onto the porch; Dante was on his hip, little hands fisted in his trench coat like it was a security blanket. His big gray eyes fixed on me in a split second and those arms stretched out, a musical, "Daa!" caroling across the lawn.

Goodfellow hadn't been kidding about the barbecue either. Cassie was over by a smoking grill with a pack of mostly unfamiliar nonhumans, legs crossed as she sat on an old stump and the smile on her face as coy as the one that drew me to her on our first meeting behind Ishiah's bar. Catcher was at the grill joking merrily; even Rafferty looked in better humor. The female Robin had coined as Raff's mate was close to his side, but not suffocating his personal space. She seemed around his age, stood with a certain confidence that came with going at it alone and succeeding. It wasn't arrogance by any means, I could tell when she smiled at Rafferty. There were two other adults in addition to my brother, my lover and my boss. Both relatively humanoid with only a few strange features that would make the knowledgeable second guess their origins.

The blond male had been in the middle of a highly gesticulated story when I appeared. He stopped almost immediately, dropping his hands after a moment, then looked toward my brother holding Dante. "You weren't kidding, that kid looks _exactly_ like him."

Dante continued to fuss with little half sounds that, just as Robin said, were a little more than human. The puck clasped his hands around my shoulders again, this time from behind as he leaned down to my shorter height. He wasn't exactly whispering in my ear, but the close quarters made me tense. "Look at him," he told me and I did, watching Niko place the boy in the overgrown jungle that was Rafferty's back yard. Dante gamely started toddling over to me, tripping only because the grass was so dense. "You made that."

I couldn't control the small smile that tugged at my mouth at those words. "I did."

"You made that with the most amazing female either of us has ever known. She is yours and he is yours." Robin paused to ruffle my hair. "I think it might be better to concentrate on that instead of the negativity that usually teems from your soul. Right now, in this moment, your life is pretty damn amazing."

I took in a deep breath through my nose and turned my head to give the puck a sidelong look. More often than not, I would do so with disgust or irritation, or just plain anger, but this time I tried my damnedest to show him how much I appreciated his words. I think he got it too, since he smirked at me like a proud peacock.

I slipped away from him and down the first few steps of the porch; the wood was pretty gnarled and I didn't really want to be picking splinters out of my son's bare knees and hands. He trilled at the upward motion of me scooping him up and without hesitation curled his round head against the curve of my neck. I felt a tightness in the back of my throat, but refused to let it escalate to wet eyes. All eyes were on me and I already knew the expression on my face erased any intimidation I might be able to muster among them. Not that I needed to. Rafferty and Catcher were pretty laid back considering their race and from the sparsely worded postcards the rest of their crew seemed just as adamant on avoiding the power-hungry struggles of the Kin as I was. Still a contented smile was out of place on my lips and the warm body that draped over my chest was awkward yet welcomed.

Cassie had slipped off the rotted log and limped over to stand abreast with my brother as I made my way into the thick grass. Hn, I hadn't noticed her limping before…that called for a full body inspection later. I wanted to see what those bastards did. Fuel the already white-hot hatred I had for our hell-spawn relatives. I touched a hand to Nik's arm, telling him without words that there were no hard feelings for what happened or even what Niko had, no doubt, been planning on doing if I woke up before I found out it was Cassie that had collected my son and not the Auphe. He would have done what had to be done to keep me safe. As much as I didn't agree, as much as I valued his and Dante's life over mine, I still respected his decisions.

It had been for the best anyway. If I had traveled to Tumulus to retrieve my son, I probably wouldn't have made it back. I would have been lost there, searching desperately for something they didn't have. I would have gone insane without Cassie to ground me or Dante to give me purpose. Niko would have lost his brother and for nothing. Dante was safe in his mother's arms and I would have been dead.

Cassie didn't wait for me to turn to her. With one hand to Dante's chubby cheek and the other to my scruffy one, she pressed up on her toes and took my mouth. Just like inside the surgery the sensation sent my heart to beat a little fast. It was something I never thought I'd feel again. I buckled a little under the intensity of emotions I usually tried to shove as far down as I possibly could, sometimes farther down that the repressed memories of Tumulus. She braced her hand to my shoulder for support as I knocked my forehead to hers, closing my eyes and taking in the affecting scents of Hawthorne, Foxglove, and inky shadows. "I love you."

"I love you too," Cassie whispered in return, slipping her fingers through the hair at my temple and around the shell of my ear. Her fingertip tripped over the jagged crescent taken out of the cartilage, causing a little bit of pain and setting my neck muscles to tense for a moment. She paused –I felt a crinkle in her forehead– then tilted her head to inspect the wound. She didn't need me to tell her what happened; it obviously looked like a wild animal had taken a bite out of me and three guesses as to which one. "That bitch is going down."

I snorted –glad to hear she didn't have the same uptight views as my brother regarding cursing around our son. "I don't care if you still have feelings for her, Cal. I'm sorry. What she did was beyond redemption. I'm not letting her live to try and hurt you or Dante again." I bent and kissed her again, mostly to silence her. I let my gaze, flickering to each of her mahogany eyes, telling her just how much I agreed. Any lingering affection I might have had for Delilah, burned like tissue paper the moment she focused on Dante. What she gave me didn't come close to the fury she created inside me when she threatened him, when she blackmailed me for him, and when she took him. Cassie smiled, brushing her fingertips a little more gently over the shell of my damaged ear. "Good. It's settled then."

Dante interrupted the intimate moment, by gathering a fistful of Cassie's long hair and tugging. He gurgled a sound that vaguely resembled mamma and listed dangerously out of my arms. His shifted weight made me falter, but Cassie caught him under his armpits and lifted him out of my arms and against her own hip. He snuggled against her neck the way he had mine, nuzzling like a cat would mark its master. She didn't take her eyes off of me though, boring into my being like she could read everything running through my head. I wished her luck with that; I certainly couldn't make sense of it all.

"We'll make this work, Caliban." She wrapped her free hand around my shoulder where it met my neck and squeezed at the knotted muscles there. "This thing of darkness we acknowledge ours, right?" I bent to brush my lips over hers one last time before it became annoyingly awkward for our audience.

"You should have told Niko." I was still a little angry about the whole dumping my son on me like a special delivery. Not entirely her fault, but she basically hid him from me. I might not have been in sound mind (or memory) when she reached out to me, but that didn't change the fact that Niko was of sound mind and memory. "Even if you thought I was being an unemotional bastard and that I hated you, you still should have told Niko. There was no reason for you to have been alone in this as long as you were."

"You mean there was no reason I should have kept this from you," she countered. There wasn't any terseness in her tone. She felt guilt over the omission, but she wasn't about to let me play the victim. Normally that would get me smiling, since she was obviously confessing her regret with an eye flicker and demur posture, but I wasn't going to buy it. She was adorable and I loved her, but there was no way she was getting off with a simple slap on the wrist for this. She wanted to call me out, I would return the favor.

"Both," I admitted. "You lied to me by keeping this secret without good reason. I hate the fact that you went through hell to protect him; I wish you hadn't done in on your own, but whose fault was that? Yes, I'm angry that you didn't warn…inform me that I was a father, but more than that it was dangerous for him. Going at it alone is one thing, and something that I never wanted you to do in the first place if you remember correctly, then you add my son on your suicidal mission? Without telling me. Without trying a little harder."

"Hey, hey, down boy," I shot Catcher a glare at the interruption. I hadn't even noticed him leave the grill to the blond werewolf and approach us. He was standing directly behind Cassie now, holding a hand up in a placating manner. "She's been through enough these last few days. Keep in cool."

"Keep it cool?" I snapped. "You remember who you're talking to, Benji?"

Catcher's eyebrows drew tight above his amber eyes in a dark slash and he tilted his head to one side in warning. "Don't attack her."

My temper, which had been simmering like embers, flared at the verbal kerosene Catcher just doused on it. I raked my eyes over him, watching his body language, noticing now that he had a hand to the small of Cassie's back in support, recalling the gleeful, goofy grin on his face when my girlfriend was just a touch away. My jaw clenched and my fists soon followed. "You've known her for, what, three days? You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe there are things you don't know either, Caliban. I'm just saying that it's been a rough week for all of us and pointing fingers isn't going to help."

I felt my brother circle around behind me, sliding a hand over my shoulder and squeezing like Castiella had only he meant it in the same manner Catcher did. 'Calm down, Cal' seemed to be the general consensus now. And a world of no to that. I rolled my shoulder to shrug Nik off and bared my teeth at Catcher. "Take your hand off my girlfriend's ass and stop drooling for her affections."

I blush rocketed over the ruddy-haired werewolf's cheek bones and his hand jerked away from Cassie's back. It wasn't her ass, I knew she wouldn't allow that, but the impact was made. Cassie colored a little as well, though hers was a pallid hue. I thought I heard her breathe my name in admonishment, but Catcher's fumbled retort overshadowed it. "Pardon me for showing her the benefits of a lover that isn't a complete ass."

"Nah, just a complete dog. Weren't you after the last one too? Oh, yeah all over Delilah. You have her now by the way. Just know that she tried to shoot your ass while you hightailed it into doggie-land back in Yellowstone and if it weren't for me you'd probably be fashioned in a new pair of winter boots—"

"_Enough_," Cassie snapped at me. I spared her a glance, then gave her a look a little more lingering. Her eyes were battling between blazing gold and lava red; apparently I had triggered both sides of her temper. Dante fidgeted in her arms, uncomfortable in the situation, because he understood her single syllable word as well as I did; if it were actually in English it would have been two syllables. I swallowed and took a step back. Nothing like being chided in the Auphe's language to have me tuck my tail between my legs. I didn't apologize, but I did shut my mouth and that seemed to be enough for Castiella.

She shifted Dante to her other hip, then, when Nik offered, handed the toddler off to someone less fuming. Without a word, Niko carried Dante back into the house and away from the displaced animosity. I would admit that it was displaced; I wasn't mad at Catcher. Well, I was annoyed that he had his eye on the love of my life, but he didn't seem the type of guy to horn in when it was obvious I was in love with her. My witty verbal lashing was due to everything else, most of which didn't concern Catcher at all. Losing Cassie, losing Dante, those damned garbled memories that kept painfully returning, they were the reasons I was upset.

Cassie took my hand and guided me up the porch steps. She took a moment to berate Catcher over her shoulder as well, hissing something that sounded like, "What did I tell you?" He wilted under that scrutinizing gaze, which was probably still flashing red and gold like an inferno. Cassie took me to the far end of the porch away from prying eyes, though I knew the wolves could probably hear the conversation if they so desired. She said nothing to me at first, just yanked me around by my wrist to face her and waited. When I didn't say anything, when I didn't know what to say, she pressed her full lips together and her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Well? Go. Tell me what's really bothering you because I know it isn't Catcher hitting on me."

"Is that all he's done?" I asked, well aware that I sounded like a jealous boyfriend. Her lips parted in hurt and the emotion painted across her features in a very telling manner. I straightened, certainly not expecting that. It wasn't like Cassie and I had pledged our undying love and loyalty to each other, but still—

"Stop it," Castiella hissed and smacked at my arm, cutting off my train of thought before it brought on more jealous rage. She hit the previously injured arm, which actually left me with a little twinge up to my shoulder; apparently, Raff hadn't healed it one hundred percent. "I can see where your mind is going. Yes, he's made it clear he has those intentions, but he hasn't pressed it. He knows I love you. You hear me? I love _you_." She clasped her hands to my jaw to stop me from glaring at Robin, who I saw leaned casually against the railing several feet down from us. He had his arms crossed over his chest, probably making sure I didn't act rashly.

"Caliban, I love you. And I was so stupid for ever leaving you." I snorted, but it died quickly when I met her eyes. Back to mahogany and diffused with tears. "I was only trying to protect you and you're right, instead I almost got our son killed for my self-deprecating belief that you hated me. I'm sorry…"

And just like that, the fight left me. It was always like a roller coaster with Castiella. Up and down, left then right. We would be laughing in the morning, arguing and storming out in the afternoon, and screwing like rabbits by the evening. I didn't know if it was just the way we were together or if it was due to the stress we were often under, but I still loved every second of it. Well, almost every second. Her leaving me was not the best of times.

I had no clue what to say to her. An apology refused to leave my lips with damned good reason. She shouldn't have left, I told her in so many ways what a stupid idea that was and she ignored me. And she should have told me about Dante, memories or no. But I couldn't deny the fact that I wasn't there for her either. Not my fault, mind you, but it was still a fact. I couldn't imagine what it had been like for her; suffering through nine months with a life not yet born in her hands and the Auphe breathing over her shoulder and then getting no break or relief when he was a tiny baby in her arms, completely vulnerable and dependant on her and only her. She'd been alone and scared.

I didn't pull her hands away from me, instead slipping my own around her ribcage to guide her closer. "We aren't the best parents, we never will be. We'll fuck up again and again, but right now, I think all I need to know –for sure– is that you will be with me. Because I don't want to do this without you. I can't do this without you."

With a little smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, she collapsed into me. Her fingers drifted down my neck and over my chest to settle loosely around my hips. The sensation left an obvious tingle throughout my body and I felt her smile against my collarbone. "So we're done with this argument? I should have come to you again, I should have tried harder, but you didn't make me feel very welcome or supported. I was alone and you were oblivious."

"And next time I say I don't want you to leave?"

She lifted her head; that slightly wicked smirk now in full play on her lips. "Oh honey, at this point it doesn't matter if you say you do or you don't, I'm not going anywhere."

And that was all I needed to hear. I bent to take her mouth, wanting so much more from her at that moment, but knowing damned well I would get bludgeoned if I tried any of the deliciously naughty things running through my head. I didn't even care that Goodfellow was still watching. Not one bit ashamed.


	16. Chapter 16 Catcher

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Catcher**

The house was becoming a bit overcrowded. Not that I was complaining. I loved the life of it. The pattering of feet prancing through the hallways, the clattering of plates as meals were cleaned up, and the constant murmur and rise of voices as conversations transpired nearly non-stop. It was life and it was beautiful. Like a symphony.

Rafferty hated it, or pretended to at least. I caught him smiling at the kids antics or the hustle of bodies moving through spaces that were usually pretty empty. It was the warmest activity we'd been exposed to in a long time and, try as he might to hide it, it was putting him in a good mood. Cal not too much. Of course the Auphe never struck me as a social creature so the bustling noise and movement probably grated on him more than the company. He hid it as well, though for different reasons. It was sweet to see him put on a happy face for his family, which had double in size from yesterday. I could tell he would have preferred it to just be him, Cassie and Dante though…or maybe just him and Cassie for a few hours. It was impossible though, with so many people around.

I was loving it. Every second. Part of my studies in college had leaned toward anthropology for a solid three years. I enjoyed watching the interaction of being to being. The subtle ways people spoke without words and without consciousness. It allowed you to see who someone really was. How the sweetest of creatures could bare a slight fang in distasted and prove that they were faking almost every smile. Or the opposite. Like how Rafferty would clear the table for Mia one plate at a time, hoping we wouldn't notice or not noticing himself. Or how Niko hovered around his girlfriend, who showed up the night before with healing burns along her cheek, neck, and hands. He was less subtle about it, but compassion and fraternity were aspects of Niko's blood that we all knew ran deep.

Goodfellow was nearly a different person since I last saw him. He put on that haughty, better-than-thou front, but in retrospect he was behaving like a prince. I didn't know what had transpired to make him so…considerate, for lack of a better word, but my bets were on Cassie and Ishiah, who ran off after making sure everyone was safe at the house. The peri said he had to check on something; that Cassie's overhead hunting might have ruffled a few feathers. Even without Ishiah there, Robin was being sweet. He would nudge an inconspicuous shoulder to Niko's in brotherly affection or brush an almost unnoticed kiss to Cassie's hand or, if Cal wasn't present to scowl, cheek like a man truly content. I could only imagine how it would escalate when Ishiah arrive.

It made me jealous honestly. Goodfellow had his boyfriend, Niko displayed doting, understated, gestures toward the regal vampire always at his side, Cal and Cassie showed much more obvious passion and adoration in plain view of all (sometimes heavy enough they were chided), and even Rafferty's light touches to Mia's shoulders and the occasional brush of her thick brown waves over her shoulder were getting to me. Love was in the air and I was stuck with a wriggling pup that wasn't even mine in my lap and a stone in my stomach.

The biggest romantic of the bunch and I was left alone.

"Hey."

I startled at her voice so close to me. I was sitting at the kitchen table with the twins attempting to busy them with a few coloring books Mia had brought them. Hunter, half crouched in my lap, was doing a pretty good job of staying in the lines if not abiding by the natural spectrum of color, while Chase seemed to think the broader the stroke the better. Lucky the table could be scrubbed down; it would probably smell like crayons for a few days though, considering the grinding pressure he used.

I wasn't alone in the kitchen. Niko was chatting with Mia about some topic they found inviting. I tuned out after twenty minutes. Lovett, Rafferty, and Melee were in the adjoining room. It used to be a waiting room, but with our new family it had quickly become a typical living room; the sofa aired out, extra chairs situated around a battered coffee table and the dated television rewired and dusted. They were watching a game; soccer from the look of it –or futbol rather. Lovett was shouting at his team with exuberance, which made it difficult for me to hear Cassie approach me.

She slid into the chair next to me, ruffling Hunter's hair with a warm smile, before panning a concerned look toward me. "You're upset about something."

"I'm all right, just adjusting."

She tilted her head to one side to catch my downturned gaze. "I'm sorry about yesterday. That probably wasn't the reunion you had in mind."

It wasn't, but it progressed to the movie quality embrace I had been hoping for fairly quickly. And I didn't really blame Caliban for his irritation and hurt feelings for her leaving. From what I could tell he was very adamant on her staying win, lose or death. But hearing him attack her after all she'd been through, I just couldn't take it. He was still young and pretty impetuous and I should have curbed my instinctive need to protect Cassie; I also should have been less obvious about my attraction to her. That couldn't have been a good feeling for Cal. Knowing his lover had been away for months, then showing up with some guy that couldn't keep his paws off of her.

"He had his reasons, but so did you. I shouldn't have jumped in like I did."

"It was a very sweet attempt at defending the damsel in distress," Cassie teased, both implying gratitude and giving note that she was hardly in need of my efforts. I stared at her for a moment, studying the way her hair cascaded in loose auburn and blond waves over her shoulders, framing her round face and hiding the now slightly pink swells along her jawline. Her full lips were in a cynical smile, which was quickly fading the longer I leered. And it was a leer, I wasn't denying that. The longer I remained in her presence the more I liked her, the more I was attracted to her, and the more it felt like more than just fleeting-fling material. "Don't do this, Catcher. Not to me and even more not to yourself."

"I'm beginning to think that you and the family should get a hotel room." It was harsh, but probably for the best. The house was almost too crowded for all the beds we had. As it was Goodfellow already rented out a room in the Hampton Inn a few miles from our house and the reserve. He complained and moaned about the lack of luxury, but it spoke indefinitely of his loyalty to the brothers and Cassie that he didn't go any farther away despite the homeliness of his rented room. I half expected him to trek back home to his silk sheets and pillow top decadence of his own apartment, but he remained and he spent most of yesterday and today here instead of the hotel.

I figured Cassie and Cal could join him and, of course, Niko and Promise would follow; Promise would probably be footing the bill considering the designer clothes and high-priced perfume she was wearing. Good for the boys finding two very affluent and unflappably loyal friends in the puck and the vampire. I hated to break up the cocoon of warmth and vibrant energy coursing through the rancher, but spending anymore time with Cassie would probably just put me in hot water with Cal and make Cassie uncomfortable.

Cassie's eyes dropped to the table, then looking out into the living room. Caliban had joined the sports fans, leaned against the back of the sofa with folded arms and a half-intrigued look on his face. Dante was plopped down between his feet, a teething ring in one hand and a sippy cup in the other. He was more intent on the ring at the moment and I could see the plastic would burst soon. That kid had a powerful jaw.

"I don't want to lose you as a friend, Catcher. I don't have many and high quality ones like you are hard to come by."

I stayed quiet for a moment, digesting this. Honestly, I felt the same way. Even if I couldn't have a romantic relationship with her I still wanted Cassie in my life. She was too brilliant a beacon not to embrace. I just needed some time apart. I needed for her and Cal to establish their relationship more steadfastly so I didn't see the cracks and hope for things I shouldn't. "You won't lose me as a friend. I think you should just focus on your family right now."

She made a soft sound that reminded me of a laugh not completely realized or felt. She knocked one of the crayons back and forth between her fingers. "Meaning you want time away from me."

I didn't reply, which said enough. Cassie sighed and flicked the crayon so it spun around. We spent another minute or two of silently watching Chase and Hunter coloring and speaking to each other with little more than thrills and soft growls, then she pushed back on her chair and moved to leave. "I'll talk to Cal. We'll at least be out of here before tomorrow night."

"Cassie," I called. She paused with her fingers to the Formica and mahogany eyes fixed on me. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with anything deep or profound to say to her. I couldn't say she was wrong. I couldn't say that I didn't want her to go. I didn't, but I should have. She didn't need me to say anything though. With a little half smile, she leaned over me to press those full lips to my temple.

I watched her start back into the living room, taking a moment to brush her fingers over Chase's scruffy head too. He spared her a glanced then went right back to covering his book with swirls of vibrant color. I watched her go, then I watched her stop two feet from the threshold. I lifted my eyebrows and opened my senses to hear or smell the reason she would freeze like that and snap her head in the direction of the back door.

"Cassie?"

Gold flecked mahogany darted toward me, then back to the door. Her entire body was ridged and I wasn't the only one to notice. Niko had stopped talking to Mia, the former focused on Cassie as well and the latter craned her neck to see out of the window over the kitchen sink. Mia let off a little grunt and cast a cynical look over her shoulder. "Either the puck's boyfriend is here with family or the Legion has come."

"Keep Dante and Cal inside." Cassie's demand was aimed at Niko and she was pushing open the swinging back door before I even managed to slide Hunter into the chair beside me. Niko caught my arm and squeezed it purposefully as I passed, his gray eyes telling me to protect her as he hastened into the living room with the others. I didn't like this.

I could smell the mixed wild flower scents of several peris now and when I stepped out onto the porch behind Cassie I could see at least a dozen of them. Every single one had their wings out and ruffled with the heady smell of tension on the air. It intermingled with the mild musk of weeds and underbrush growing stiltedly in the cool spring months as well as the syrupy tang of Cassie's poorly concealed fear. "Catcher, go inside."

"Like hell," I responded, coming up abreast to her. The peris looked uncannily similar, probably a clan of distant relatives. At the helm stood the one that had saved me in the alley yesterday, Ishiah. The broad shouldered blond was accompanied by another that was only slightly less brute. Ishiah's brother maybe? Which didn't bring about great prospects considering I knew Cassie had take out most of Ishiah's family for trying to kill her and Cal.

No one made the first move; standing like the lines drawn for war. Cassie and I were unarmed save for the weapons given by nature. It normally would have been enough for either of us, but considering how well Ishiah could wield a sword I didn't doubt that his brethren could do the same with the weapons in their grasps. Rapiers, broadswords, and even a katana in the mix. I would have grabbed Cassie and ran if I didn't know we had plenty of back up waiting inside.

And speaking of which, the back screen banged open with great force and a new smell stung my nose. Pissed off Auphe. Cal tried to go at them in his rage, almost making it to the first step down the porch before Cassie caught him by the back of his shirt and yanked him back. That didn't stop the young brat's mouth from shooting off though. "Ishiah, what the hell are you thinking? Get them the fuck out of here now!"

"Calib—"

"We have children in there! Are you crazy?"

The blond beside Ishiah rolled his eyes at Caliban's tirade, unmoved from his position next to the larger peri. Cassie remained just as still, trembling just slightly; I couldn't tell if that was in effort to keep Cal from tearing into the yard or if she was just that frightened.

"Please calm down, Caliban," Ishiah tried again. That only encouraged Cal to whip out his Glock and aim it right at the unimpressed blond. His wings lifted just slightly at the threat, but he didn't shift otherwise. Ishiah extended his arm in front of his kin and held the other out to placate our seething half Auphe. "Caliban—"

"Do not test me, Ishiah. Last time these assholes came around they shot me and tried to kill Cassie _again_. They take one step forward, I swear it'll be open season. My son is in there—"

"That is precisely why we are here," the blond interjected with venom dripping from every syllable. Cal's finger squeezed at the trigger, but Cassie stepped in front of him. The Glock lifted as he crooked his elbow immediately, finger pressed to the side of the barrel.

Around the sides of the house the Calvary was appearing. Niko with his own katana unsheathed at his side and Goodfellow with a borrowed sword flanking him from the left side of the house, while Lovett, my cousin, and Melee stalked around the right side all three in wolf form with hackles up. The peris seemed a bit more ruffled now, maybe expecting a peaceful exchange or not expecting the Leandros boys to have more reinforcements than usual. Several of them grasped their weapons in ready and most of their gold-barred wings rose high on the apex of their full span. Most clans had signature highlights in their wings, different variations of precious metals and sometimes stones. The Ina clan had almost a shimmering pale turquoise kissing the grain of their feathers, so the fact that all of these peris had gold inlaid in theirs solidified my assumption that they were all clan members. The fact that it was mixed gender was a little stranger. Clan usually left the children with the females, like most primitive races, mostly because the women would defend their offspring with much more valor and fierceness in comparison. Since there were females among the males here, I could only assume that Castiella and the Leandros crew decimated their clan to the point of dwindling.

Ishiah held up both hands this time one to each side of the house to make our approaching friends give pause. "Please stop. This is not a visit of aggression. Trust me, Castiella." He cast his blue-gray eyes upon the focus of most of the peris' hostility. "They need to see Dante."

"Over my dead body," Cal snapped.

The blond beside Ishiah smirked. "That can be arranged." It wasn't just Ishiah that chided him either; a female just behind him tapped the flat of her broadsword to his heel in silent admonishment.

"Joel, refrain," Ishiah warned and even clasped one hand to his kin's shoulder. The smaller, and obviously younger, blond shrugged him off with a look of contempt and the familiar scent of sibling rivalry. Then, after a moment of silent bickering, both peris turned gazes back to the porch and our small ensemble gathered there. "Castiella, please, trust me. You know I would never place my grandnephew in any danger. This will help, I promise you."

From the corner of my eye, I could see the twins peering out the window with Mia hovering behind; prepared to snatch them up and drag them away from harm if a fight did break out. I turned just a bit behind me to find Promise cradling Dante close to her chest under the cover of shade in the hallway just outside the kitchen. She was a little too far back for me to see if the kid was squirming, but I could hear the little complains he was making when I turned my head.

No one moved outside. Everyone was assessing the best plan of attack, the best means of defense, or just trying to make a decision on who to trust. I didn't know these peris, but I knew Castiella's history with her own clan. They despised her, wished she had never existed and wished they could do something about her current existence. The Ina told me how the clan the Harbinger was born from shunned and abandoned her, which translated more as hid in fear from her in my head.

I remembered something else about the Ina clan, something they told me regarding their rare inter-species wars and something that fell in line with every virtue that was the peris' culture. I made my decision before Cassie could puzzle it out and retreated into the house. Promise straightened when I approached her, obviously asking for the vulnerable child in her arms. "They won't." I assured the vampire. "I know they won't. They peris, Promise, more honorable than any other race in this town."

She relinquished Dante to me with an apprehensive look. We didn't know each other well; I didn't blame her for the distrust, especially when Dante punched me in the jaw. It smarted, but the kid didn't have enough power to stop me from carrying him back outside. He struggled even more violently when he saw his parents, wanting very much to be in their arms instead of mine. I passed him off to Cal, hoping to keep his trigger-happy hands busy.

He glared vehemently at me and I tried to give him a confident nod. My stomach was roiling, but I was still ninety-five percent sure the peris wouldn't attack when a child was present. Peri wars never transpired in villages, never bled into the home life. They ruled and governed each other through duels and broadly drawn lines of battle. They were valiant creatures not manipulative.

"They won't," I said to Caliban, just as I had to Promise. He seemed less sated, but it was too late to hide the boy away. Instead, Cal hoisted Dante a little high on his hip and turned toward the peris waiting in the porch.

"This good enough? Or do I need to hold him up Lion King style?" he sniped, specifically at the peri called Joel.

Gold and white wings shuddered on Joel's back in irritation, then curled inward, heart-like, to his back. His molten gold gaze panned over to Castiella with the same bitter distaste, but he spoke to her, which was probably proclaiming loudly just how much more animosity he felt for Caliban. Either that or how much more of a threat he considered his half-niece. "I'm going to approach." He lanced the ground with his sword and stood with his shoulders in a straight line, waiting for Cassie to acquiesce the veiled request for her not to attack him when he did.

She did nod, resting a hand on Cal's arm that was wrapped around their son's rump and thighs. She was telling him to stay calm. She tried her best to exude that tranquility too, but couldn't control the nervous energy that Dante could probably sense. "I don't like this," Cal hissed. He held Dante with only one arm, the other was inching toward his gun again. The little boy didn't need any other support though; he clutched the front of Cal's shirt to hold himself up expertly. And like father like son, Dante was growling ever so softly at the new company.

Ishiah walked forward with his brother, while the other remained somewhat alert in the background. Niko had continued coming closer and now stood at the bottom of the porch, while the puck hung back. Same as my pack. They paced several feet away in readiness to defend our growing members. Except for Rafferty. He just sat quietly on his haunches watching, like he knew what I knew. And maybe he did.

A small smile ghosted over Ishiah's lips as he came up to Cal and Dante. Joel respectfully stayed at the bottom of the porch steps; a generous distance away from Niko, but close enough to view the hybrid anomaly clearly. Cal wasn't even watching Goodfellow's boyfriend. His eyes were on Joel, flickering nervously over the rest of the gathering. Ishiah, he seemed to trust. Though, Dante didn't share the sentiment.

"He looks exactly like you, Caliban," Ishiah murmured softly like a man seeing their grandson for the first time, which –oddly– was sort of the situation. He reached out to brush his hand over Dante's dark hair, then retracted when a set of thin claws nearly took off his thumb.

"Oh," Cal grunted and pivoted so his son couldn't slash at Ishiah again. "Sorry. He doesn't seem to like strangers. He'll get used to you. He kept growling at Promise for the first night she met him too."

Ishiah eased his hands down to his sides, not insulted. In fact he looked relieved. He turned his head to one shoulder to regard Joel. His smirk now looked triumphant. "Caliban does not have that ability, brother."

Joel seemed to roll this thought around his tongue like a fine wine that he didn't enjoy the taste of, then he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "You don't have claws like that, Aupheling?"

Caliban paused, looking over at his lover then back at Joel. After a moment he realized Aupheling was in reference to him. I imagined Cassie was just called Harbinger and nothing more when it came to the peris. Once he understood the question was directed at him Cal snorted. "You think if I had claws that could cut through bone and metal I would be toting around two guns and six magazines?"

Joel considered this as well, then focused those gold eyes on the child. After a long moment of silence, broken only by Dante's constant rumble of disquiet, Joel retreated a step and nodded. "It can't be helped." He turned his scowl on Cassie and gave a minute grin that was more malevolent than anything they'd shown the entire time. "We'll return in twenty years. Be prepared."

With that he turned and approached his clan. One by one they took off into the sky circling no more than once before soaring off toward Manhattan. Joel was the last, not even sparing a glance at his brother as he arced toward the clouds. I let out a breath of relief, glad my knowledge on peri culture wasn't lacking. Ishiah remained, only ascending the porch steps to greet Goodfellow with a brief touch and a much more intimate look.

"That was risky," the puck informed him.

Ishiah nodded. "Yes, but it was beneficial."

"What the hell just happened?" Cal snapped. Dante was a little more placid in his arms, observing the company around him with a little more curiosity and a little less animosity. He'd stopped growling and even let Ishiah scale the steps without snapping. He surprised me with how much he was like a werewolf pup, which explained why he got along so well with Chase and Hunter.

"The clan will not attempt to seek justice for Castiella's previous crimes against them," Ishiah said, carefully choosing his words and layering his tone with clear dissatisfaction to show he didn't agree with them. He grazed his calloused fingers over Cassie's temple, resting his palm to her neck and shoulder. "It is a strict rule. A peri will not attack another being that has a child dependant on them. Because of Dante, Joel and the rest of the clan will not attempt to harm you or Cal until Dante is no longer dependent on you. Usually it is fifty years, but they have obviously taken into consideration Dante's possible shorter lifespan and present accelerated age and shortened it to twenty."

"Doesn't that increase the risk for them?" Niko commented. His katana had returned to its sheath and he was much more relaxed as he stood near Goodfellow at the foot of the porch steps. "Waiting for Dante to become more powerful will only give them another enemy. And considering his lineage a more powerful one."

"It isn't a matter of risk, it's a matter of honor," Ishiah intoned. He dropped a kiss to Cassie's blond crown. "I'm sorry to have frightened you with that, but I feared you wouldn't cooperate if I had told you."

She frowned at his explanation, but didn't argue and how could she? If he'd given us advanced notice I didn't think it would have gone as smoothly as it had. Caliban would have probably been out for blood for what the peris had done to him and Cassie; Niko certainly wouldn't have let them within sight range of his brother if it was true that they shot Cal last time.

Ishiah turned to look at Dante still in Caliban's arms. The boy seemed a little more amiable now that they tension had ebbed away, but he still peered at the peri with skepticism. If a two year old could be skeptical. Ishiah smiled softly, the scar on his jaw and cheek stretching slightly. "Now, I'd like to spend some time with my grandnephew."

The party returned indoors in a subtle flow of bodies, as if we were just returning home from the grocery store. Tension slowly left the house as Ishiah sat down with his niece and grandnephew, getting to know the little boy and chatting quietly with her. Caliban circled close between the living room where the game had continued on TV and the surgery where the peri and Cassie had retreated. Dinner was much quieter than in previous nights, the twins contributed most of the noise, while light conversation passed through the rest of us. Ishiah and Goodfellow ducked out before the meal was finished cooking, but I believed that had more to do with the puck's insatiable sex drive than it did Mia's cooking. By nightfall, Cassie, Promise, the brothers and their son were heading out as well; apparently, Cassie decided now was a good time to fulfill my request.

Niko gave Rafferty his contact information –they were staying at Promise's apartment. And out the door they went. Cassie cast a forlorn look in my direction as she left, but neither of us had any words. My cousin, unfortunately, had plenty.

At first he just sat down across from me as I cleared the kitchen table. Mia was still in the room washing out the pans, but the rest of our pack had vacated to catch fireflies outside with the pups. He watched me for several excruciatingly quiet minutes, then cleared his throat and shook his head. "I told you not to get attached."

I glared and slid dirty plates next to the sink. "And you were right, bravo. Gold star for you." Mia paused in scrubbing, glancing over at me and then apprehensively toward Rafferty. As if she was asking if we wanted her to leave. I, personally, didn't care. Mia was as part of my family as Rafferty was at this point. The fact that she was sleeping with my cousin just realized that concept. I was pretty much an open book anyway. I hated gossip so I made sure there was nothing to gossip about.

"No need to get nasty," Rafferty grumped. He tapped his finger to the table across from him indicating that he wanted me to sit. He used to do that when I was in a particularly down mood, except those times I was hopping onto the chair with four feet and a fur pelt. And usually he had some sort of treat for me be it a video I had wanted to watch or just a particular food I'd been begging for. Once he had brought me home a laptop to cheer me up, presented with a sloppy bow taped on the case. That gift had been the best and the most useful. Unfortunately, these thoughts brought me to sink into the chair with guilt for all he'd sacrificed for me over the years. He didn't have a gift for me, but I needed a gruff talking to all the same.

"I understand your attraction to her. She is an amazing creature, but she was taken from the very beginning."

"I know."

"Then why did you send her away?"

"I didn't—"

He gave me a jaundiced looked, which was enough to cut me off. It would have been a lie anyway. I asked her to leave. I sent her away. "It's better. The longer she's around me the more I want her."

Raff grunted; his way of empathizing. He leaned back his chair, ran a hand over the scruff on his chin, flicked a glance over at Mia, who was dutifully trying to ignore us, and then sighed. "There's nothing I can say that will make you feel better today, Catch."

I nodded; no gift could make my feelings go away. The only thing that could would be time…or a damned good distraction. "I know." I felt Mia come up behind me, her water-warmed hands sliding over my shoulders to wrap around my neck in a hug. She nudged her nose above my ear, but didn't tell me anything inspirational, she just hugged me. It was nice though, a reminder of what I did have. Maybe not a mate, but I had a family. A big family, a pack.

I patted Mia's arms, rolling my head back to give her a smile. "Thanks, Mia."

"I do what I can," she replied and ruffled both hands through my hair. She then dropped a clean dishtowel next to me on the table. "And now you boys can do what you can."

I glanced behind me as she left the kitchen and saw the second sink was piled high with washed pots and pans. Our dishwasher had broken ages before we'd abandoned the house, so we had to resort to the old fashion wash and dry by hand. I sighed through my nose and snatched up the towel. I did ask for a distraction, after all.


	17. Chapter 17 Cal

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Cal**

I never in my life imagined I would be happy. Briefly content or maybe appreciating a singular moment of bliss, but never happy. Never thought that I would find a girl that loved me as well as the monster inside. Never in my most fanciful moment did I think I would hold a son in my arms, well at least not a son that wasn't trying to go for the jugular. And I couldn't exactly explain how it all made me feel.

I wasn't unappreciative, I didn't hate it. I just didn't trust any of it. It felt like a surreal dream or like a demon was pulling a warm filmy sheet of happiness over my mind waiting for the perfect moment for the unveiling so I could see that it was all bullshit and I was still at square one in a shitty world. I supposed that was what happened when life was nothing but a series of death-dodging disappointments. I didn't trust when things were going right. Well, as _right_ as my life could go.

I lounged on Promise's immaculately white couch, legs stretched out, ankles crossed and feet bouncing back and forth to distract Dante with the loose laces of my boots. It let Cassie wrestle him into his pullover hoodie a little more successfully that she would if he had been running around the new surroundings in curiosity. It was a new adventure for him, since he'd already been passed out on my shoulder when we got to Promise's place last night. It wasn't the best location, considering there were many who knew of our affiliation with Promise. She wasn't exactly an activist in the supernatural community, but she knew about as many people as Robin and many people knew her.

We wouldn't be that hard to track down here, but I also doubted Delilah would be able to reconvene very quickly after all her injuries, especially after Cassie and I effectively slaughtered her pack, and she now knew she was dealing with _two _halfAuphes. One of which had a pretty impressive resume with the Werewolves.

Dante became bored with my laces and started using my legs as a jungle gym. Cassie sighed in defeat and sat back on her legs with one of his shoes still in hand. Dressing him was becoming a rather difficult task now that he wasn't leery about us. All that good boy behavior was out the window and he was becoming the typical mischievous two-year-old. Well, I couldn't say that even. He still didn't cry, didn't fuss too much, he was just incredibly active.

Not something I thought my son would be, considering.

I hoisted him up when he reached my knees and pulled him into my lap with his chubby little legs straddling one of my thighs. "Don't make me break out the straitjacket, Ace," I teased. He reached out and squished my cheeks together, giggling madly. Cassie took the window of opportunity and quickly shoved the other shoe over his little foot. They were Velcro so it only took a second to anchor them.

We were only getting him ready to go out to lunch; get him out of the apartment but not for a prolonged period. Promise's digs were much more extensive that Nik and mine, but the kid still needed some fresh air and the balcony only sufficed so much. Niko slipped another three throwing knives up his sleeve as he walked into the main room from his and Promise's bedroom. His hair was a bit dark with the dampness of a shower and he had that slightly more relaxed gate; I'd started noticing that stance the more often Promise stayed over.

I glared daggers at my brother in jealousy. While I certainly didn't mind telling stories to my son with my girlfriend curled up right next to me in bed, there had been other activities that I had wanted desperately to partake in and Dante made those a little difficult. My brother could get laid though; no problems there.

Nik lifted his eyebrows at my expression, then almost smirked. "Patience, little brother."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I grunted. Although the sound was more because Dante chose that moment to lose his balance and knee me in the stomach. I clutched the accosted area with a groan. Cassie scooped him up, before he kneed something more important.

"You ready?" She asked, motioning for us to head out. She seemed a little stir crazy herself; or maybe she was feeling the same anxiousness that I was. There was too much unfinished, too much waiting to crash down. I felt like we were in a house of cards and a hurricane was on the rise. It didn't help that she wouldn't talk to me about what was going on with Catcher; like I didn't notice the looks they were exchanging as we left.

I gathered my legs and hauled off the couch reluctantly. I already had my Desert Eagle under my arm and my hold up .38 at my ankle. Like my brother, I'd also littered my jacket with several concealed knives. Per usual, Castiella was armed only with her body, but after seeing what she could do I didn't doubt the choice. No one was taking my son again. "All right, let's blow this extravagant popsicle stand."

Niko nodded and slapped me on the back as I followed Cassie out of the apartment; considering the time was high noon, Promise wasn't joining us. The smack caught my attention since it wasn't on the back of my head like his slaps usually were.

"We'll take Dante tonight."

I stared blatantly for a few seconds. There was a time when Niko would have tried to convince me not to have raucous sex. There was a time when he looked at me with disapproval when I snuck out to commit the cardinal sin of lust, but that was before Cassie. That was before I had a girlfriend he wholeheartedly approved of. "Thank you," I said and meant it more than I ever had before.

Cassie pulled back from her lead and pushed up on her toes to dot a kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks, Nikki. Any longer and you'd probably think I was PMSing." I snickered; sometimes I forgot that Castiella could be more insatiable than me. It had to be something about the Auphe genes.

"In thanks how about you never call me Nikki again?" Nik responded smoothly.

Cassie hoisted Dante high on her hip and considered this for a moment. A very long moment. Niko sighed glanced over at me as if asking permission for something. I gave him a shrug, not quite understanding, but considering the current topic was regarding his name I didn't think I had much of an opinion on it. His gray eyes slid back over to Cassie before he offered an alternative. "How about Nik?"

Well, that surprised me. I knew it was apparent because I felt my eyebrows shoot up. Not even Goodfellow called my brother Nik. It was a universal acceptance that I was the only one allowed to do so. Just like it seemed to have become unspoken that only Goodfellow and I called Cassie 'Cas'.

Cassie understood the importance too. She stood very still, Dante playing with the long braid that trailed over her shoulder. Her eyes were fixed on Niko as if trying to figure out the catch. "Nik, huh?" She paused again, eyes sliding over to me for the briefest of moments, before returning to Niko. "You sure? I don't want to overstep—"

"I'm sure," Niko interrupted before Cassie could imply she was coming between the brothers Leandros. "On one condition." He opened his arms and reached out for the little live wire on her hip. "I get to carry my nephew _and_ we eat somewhere that doesn't have a menu which consists only of fried foods."

"Deal," Cassie replied and handed Dante over. The kid was just as at home in my brother's arms as either of ours and even continued the same game of tugging on long blond hair when he found Niko's braid.

We departed with shouts of goodbyes to Promise, who was probably still in her bedroom recovering from her and Niko's afternoon romp. The day was crisp like the others have been lately. Nature just couldn't shake winter's grasp. Niko had become so used to people avoiding me (and therefore him by proxy) that he seemed disoriented when we didn't receive the usual duck and evade. So disoriented, in fact, that I noticed our tail before he did.

I was walking with my arm around Cassie's shoulders, her petite body snug against me. I squeezed the joint where my hand lay over her jacket to catch her attention. I didn't even need to say anything.

"I noticed," she replied, stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned around to face our shadow. The black van crept to a stop in the closest parking spot which happened to be a block down, but none of us moved. Niko couldn't miss it now, whether he was cursing internally over his obliviousness I would figure out later. At the moment I was a little concerned about the safety of my son.

We didn't wait for the side door to slide open as Cassie led us across the side road to within a few feet of them. A man and woman stepped out, both in gray jumpsuits like last time. I recognized the woman as the outspoken one that helped us out with Samuel before, but the guy I didn't know. He wasn't one of the original crew Samuel had. I tugged my Desert Eagle out from the holster and held it at my side, just under the cover of my jacket. The action was noticed –I didn't try to hide it– and the jumpsuits stiffened in reserve. They stopped approaching. The unknown guy holding out his arm to keep the woman back. Bennett, that was her name. Huh, surprising I actually remembered that.

The driver remained in the van, but the passenger's side door swung open and Uncle Sammy himself hopped out. I edged in front of Cassie and my brother, letting them get a glimpse of my gun. "Go away."

"You found him?" Samuel stated as he walked up to us in complete disregard for my weapon.

"Samuel, back off," I snarled and moved to pull the Eagle out of my jacket completely. Castiella's small hand slid over my arm, brushing the bare skin of my hand before wrapping around my knuckles and tucking the gun back into hiding.

She glided in front of me with a look in her eyes that almost made me too frightened to stop her. "No, little lamb." She turned her gaze on the Vigil crew and all three of them stepped back in alarm, even Samuel.

"Castiella, we aren't here to harm you, or capture you or any of your kin," Samuel said softly. He held up his hands like _she_ was holding a gun on him. I imagined it was probably her eyes; I had no doubt they were lava red right then. "I'm glad to see you and your son are alive and well."

"I'm sure," she hissed. "It would be a shame if your little experiment died with the incubator."

"I had nothing to do with that project," Samuel claimed. "I would never place a child into that life. It's one thing for a consenting adult to vow his loyalty to the Vigil, but they had planned to keep that child…" he trailed off as he looked over Cassie's shoulder to Dante who was still in Niko's arms. From the corner of my eye, I could see my brother had palmed a throwing knife in his free hand, the other wrapped under Dante's rump. Samuel's expression was ever-changing during this conversation from fear to disgust at his own people to the wide-eyed look of man seeing his son for the first time. Of course, this wasn't his son, but I also imagined that was the same look he might have had when he first held his niece in his arms.

"Sammy," I coaxed. I didn't really want to be hanging around on the sidewalk all afternoon and Dante would get fussy soon if we didn't get some food in his belly.

"You made a beautiful baby." His dark eyes flickered to Cassie then me. "Forgive me for not thinking it was possible."

"It was a bit of a surprise for me too," I admitted. The other two Vigil were watching us amiably, so I returned my gun to the holster. They didn't want to take my son, but that didn't change the fact that the Vigil itself would want their experiment back once they found out he was a success. "Do they know?"

"Them?" Samuel asked motioning to the other two jumpsuits. I shook my head. Samuel's shoulders dropped as he realized I was talking about the Vigil in general. "Yes, but I promise it was not anyone here. Your movement through the city hasn't been unnoticed, Cal, and they obtained DNA samples from the van that the Auphe…or rather, Castiella attacked. They know Dante exists."

"And you're here to try and take him?"

Sammy snorted, white teeth flashing as he laughed. "I'm not suicidal." I waited for him to continue, since he hadn't really answered my secondary question: why was he here then? "I wanted to warn you. I'm sure you would hear it from Mr. Goodfellow or Ms. Nottinger eventually, but there is another threat heading your way."

Behind me, I heard Dante whine in discomfort. I glanced over my shoulder, meeting my brother's eyes. "Take him to that restaurant with the paninis you like. I don't want him out in the open this long."

"Cal," Niko started to argue.

"I'm fine, Nik. Sammy doesn't want to tangle with the Auphelings today."

My brother held my gaze, then I watched those gray eyes flicker over to Cassie. I didn't know what expression she was showing, because I didn't really want to split my attention that much, but whatever it was Niko decided he liked what she was implying better and edged back into the shadow of the closest awning. It was a little toy store, conveniently. One with a toy train chugging along an elaborate track. It successfully distracted Dante for the moment, but Niko's attention was on us.

I turned to Cassie with an irritated look. Her full lips were pressed together in scolding. "This family is not separating. Not now, not ever again."

I gave up; trying to disagree would be pretty hypocritical considering all the times I told her the same thing. I sighed and looked to Samuel. "What do you have?"

"There has been an influx of European werewolves entering the city. By the dozen, several different packs have been gathering. And the Kin are not showing any signs of their usual aggression. Normally, fresh meat –even their elders– would have been bullied or at least snarled at. They seem to be rolling out the red carpet in comparison." He shoved his hands in his pocket and I tensed, but all he pulled out was a cell phone with a large screen. He typed something in and flipped the phone around to show us a collage of four pictures. All of them were of weathered and scared men, ranging from their twenties to forties. The kind of guys you would find on a television mafia line up. They were werewolves; I didn't need obvious overbites or overly fuzzy sideburns to tell. I didn't recognize any of them though.

"Fuck," Cassie hissed beside me. Her brow was twisted and her eyes were kissed with flecks of gold. "Evati."

"We have a CI in the Kin—"

"A criminal informant? Really," I scoffed. "Are you the do-gooder mercenaries you claim to be at all or just a bad government front?"

"The CI tells us that those filing in are all surviving members or descendants of members associated with the Evati. The Evati pack has been defunct since the 1600s when the majority of their pack was slaughtered in Barcelona—"

"I know the story; I was there," Cassie growled. "They're after me. That bitch told great grandpa Evati that the Harbinger was in town and they all jumped the next flight over. Cal," she spun to me and I knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

"No," I rebutted before she could present her argument. It was the same old argument. I was in trouble I told her to leave and get to safety; she was in trouble she told me to leave and get to safety. The see-saw was getting tiring and, I realized, completely pointless. Both of us were too stubborn to just run from a fight, especially one where our loved ones were in danger. "This family is not separating." I threw it back into her face without shame. In fact I was grinning rather wickedly. Her round shoulders lowered in a silent sigh, defeated before she even lifted her fists to fight.

"Thank you for the warning, Samuel," Cassie muttered casually and gave a dismissive wave as she wandered over to where Niko was and took Dante from his arms. Nik didn't stop her, even if he asked for the quality time with Dante. I didn't blame him for stepping down; I knew what Cassie could do when threatened and I wouldn't want to mess with those maternal instincts.

"We can provide the child with protection." Apparently unknown Vigil-guy didn't have the same reserve I did. He scooted around Samuel despite his co-worker trying to stop him from approaching me. Like I had any say in this other than sticking together. "We wouldn't ask you to surrender him; we can house the three of you in our facilities until the waters calm."

"Please, tell me he isn't serious." Samuel knew I was addressing him, knew my dubious glare was aimed at him too. Sometimes I wondered if they intentionally picked up the most obnoxious and obtuse idiots to work for the Vigil.

"It's an option, Caliban. That is all. You can turn it down—"

"I would advise you not to turn this down," the idiot went on. He adjusted the collar of the jumpsuit as if he wasn't used to it. I could catch a flash of plain clothes underneath and finally noticed a little bulge at the ankle of his pants. Shame on me for not seeing that right away. He wasn't a cleaner like Bennett and their driver. He was something else. Shit, I didn't know what kind of ranks these assholes had, but I had a feeling he was higher on the totem pole than Samuel had been before his demotion. A rat in cleaner's clothing.

He crossed his arms over a broad chest and lifted his chin. "Due to the nature of the conception, I'm sure you're aware that his birth would not have been possible without the Vigil's aid. In regard to that The Vigil wishes to have joint custody—"

"Oh, fuck _no_," I snapped. My gun was out in a second aimed directly at Vigil-dick. He backed off; so did everyone else on the sidewalk. There were several gasps and cries and the scattering of bodies. It was broad daylight, this part of town wasn't vacant or used to a rough kind by any means, but I didn't really care. This prick was trying to place claim on my son. Trying to tell me the Vigil _deserved_ to take him because they popped a few eggs in Castiella's uterus. "You walk away right now, if you want to walk away at all."

Samuel was holding up both his hands, trying to distract me from the rushing desire to shoot Vigil-dick in the forehead. "Cal, please lower the gun. This area is too populated. Someone is going to call the cops."

"And you'll come up with a damned fine story to tell the world," I countered. I could feel the static in the air, but figured it was my own fury rising until there was the tell-tale snap of something tearing the fabric of space. The van lurched with the driver still inside. The back wheel on the passenger's side dropped into a sinkhole and the frame moaned. Bennett trilled in surprise and leapt away from the pit of swirling gray between the edge of the sidewalk and the asphalt. I almost laughed when the driver bolted from the vehicle causing a few passing cars to honk in surprise when he ran out. As posh as Promise's place was, we were still in the grid of the city and traffic crept along between lights at a pace that left enough time to reasonably stop before they hit him, but I doubted the driver was concerned about a fender denting his hip bone.

"Cal, stop," Samuel pleaded, on the edge of hysteria himself. His head snapped back and forth between me and the growing gate under the undercarriage of the van.

"It's not me," I informed him, lowering my weapon and stuffing it in the holster again. I wasn't the only one pissed off about them threatening to take my son away for experiments and hell knew what else. You don't mess with a mama lion; that was a sure way to get your face gated off.

Cassie closed the gate before anyone asked her too, but the damage was already done. The back wheel made a popping sound and deflated as half of it (rim and all) disappeared into the space between. The van was tilted in its parking space now and was obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. "I guess you're walking," I teased. I grinned and glanced over my shoulder at my vixen of a girlfriend. She wasn't smiling. She clutched Dante to her chest in the most protective manner and my son's face was nestled calm in the crook of her neck.

"We didn't ask for a son," she said levelly. Her eyes swirled with blood red rage. "Yes, you have allowed this to happen. Yes, the Vigil allowed us to have this child, but it will be a warm day in Tumulus when I give him up to you or anyone else with nefarious intentions. You did not carry him for nine months with your greatest nightmare salivating at your heels. You did not gate six times succinctly while in labor to outwit said nightmare, just to birth him in an alley in Cairo. You did not flee from country to country to outrun the most malicious creatures on the planet with a baby still suckling your teet. I did. He is my son, my claim, mine. If you so much wave at me on the street when he is present I will send you on a one way trip to my hometown before you can blink. Understand?"

And that little speech was enough to make me both want to piss myself in fear and gather her up in my arms to protect her from all the horrendous things this world had to offer. Granted the latter was a little ridiculous considering I couldn't even protect her from the Auphe myself.

It got the desired reaction from the Vigil crew though. Samuel's arms fell to his side in defeat, Bennett stared on with something akin to awe on her homely face, the driver had both hands braced to his ride with the whites of his eyes showing all around dark iris' and Mr. high-and-mighty stood riga mortis still. He didn't look pleased, but at least he wasn't coming any closer. "You realize such a threat will only change our tactics. I've offered you a respectful compromise and you are refusing to even listen."

"Sammy," I warned. I really was going to shoot this bozo in cold blood if he didn't shut his trap.

Samuel ran a dark-skinned hand over his mouth and gestured for me to be calm with the same hand. He turned to the asshole and motioned for them to leave. "With all due respect, Fredricks, I believe this has become a hostile environment and we should take out leave."

"They have no rights to that child. He is a product of the Vigil's efforts—" I didn't know how it happened, but Vigil-dick's mouth gaped wide in silent agony before he could even finish his outrageous comment and his hand was pinned to the side of the van with a glinting throwing knife embedded in the center of his palm. To his credit he didn't scream; he must have been a soldier or something years ago because he had some fight in him. He lifted his leg to grab for his hold out weapon even with his hand anchored to the van's siding.

Niko was on him faster than I could raise my own gun. Fredricks grunted as Niko cracked his back against the van's door. The vehicle rocked since it was still unbalanced with half a wheel missing. My brother lodged his lower arm under the Fredricks' jaw, pressing bone to his throat. "That flimsy claim wouldn't even hold up in a human court," Nik snarled, baring white teeth and looking almost as vicious as he did when he was taking out a zoological list of creatures to get to my supposed murderer years ago. "Dante is a Leandros and the Vigil would be wise not to mess with a Leandros. Tell your superiors that we will do more than spread the word of your experiments to the other preternatural blights of the world. Tell them that if they even _attempt_ to collect my nephew we will destroy every living creature of your ilk, innocent or not." He jammed his elbow into Fredricks' pulse. "If you can't give them that message and walk away this instant. I'll kill you myself."

With that, he plucked his knife from the prick's hand and wiped the blood off on Fredricks' gray jumpsuit before slipping it back into its hiding place under his jacket. "Can you do that?"

Fredricks tried to kick at Niko and even spat into his face. It wasn't that impressive a glob so it fell short to the ground between them, but that didn't help his case at all. That was a Rom thing. That was what our own relatives, on Sophia's side, had done at me the moment I stepped into their little mobile trailer park half crazed with my big brother desperate for help. Niko didn't appreciate the gesture in the least.

Niko fisted his hand in the front of Fredricks' shirt, yanked the bastard off the side of the van, and threw him bodily into the back where the side door was still open. Part of me was slightly concerned, only because my brother was about to kill a human in the middle of a high class part of town in daylight and I didn't want him getting arrested for murder one.

Samuel seemed to feel the same way about the scene we were making, because he cursed and quickly jumped into the van behind Nik and Fredricks. "Caliban!" The sharp bark was for me to help him and, again, the only reason I did was to keep my brother out of jail. I hauled back on Niko's coat, which left a thin line of blood on Fredricks' throat from another of Niko's many knives. It was hardly deep enough to cause any damage, which was certainly Nik's intention since he backed out of the van with a graceful step, not thrown off balance by my man-handling at all.

Samuel stood in the threshold of the door, both trying to hold an enraged Fredrick back and to snap at us. "Get out of here before the cops come." With that he slid the side door closed, effectively separating us for our potential punching bag.

I glanced over a Nik, sporting a look that probably expressed just how surprised I was that _I_ was pulling _him_ back from killing someone. He didn't say anything, but grabbed a handful of my sleeve and tugged me along the sidewalk back to the rest of our family. I shrugged him off within a few feet of Cassie and my son. I shrugged him off so I could cup my girlfriend's cheeks and place firm kiss to her lips. My thumbs brushed over her cheekbones as I knocked my forehead to hers, tilting it to the side to gaze at Dante as well. The little toddler reached out and smacked me on mycheekbone, gray eyes as solemn as a child's could get.

"I'm sorry for that freak out," Cassie whispered. Her breath was warm and sweet to my lips.

"Are you kidding me? That was both frightening and unbelievably sexy," I chuckled. I switched one hand to ruffle Dante's chocolate brown hair, my thumb still grazing over the subtle scars along Castiella's jaw. "I love your mama lion instincts."

Her upturned eyes crinkled at the sides just slightly with a smile that didn't touch her full lips. She glanced over my shoulder, most likely at Nik since I could feel him closed to my back. Her voice was still a whisper when she spoke; the grin in her eyes finally reached her mouth. "I think I now understand why you're scared of your brother sometimes."

I snickered, reached behind me to knock my knuckles to Niko's arm, and trailed my other hand down to the small of Cassie's back. "Let's get out of here."

I could hear voices bouncing off the interior of the van as Samuel and the prick had a shouting match. Bennett and the driver were still on the sidewalk, watching us and giving the vast pothole Cassie created a wide berth. I spared them just that glance before we headed out, continuing to the restaurant with new knowledge that I fully intended to ignore until I had some food in my stomach; I'd even take some chicken flavored tofu at this point.


	18. Chapter 18 Cal

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Cal****  
**  
My back was knotted up like a rope a boy scout was using for his merit badge. My neck muscles strained to the point that I couldn't even feel the pain of it anymore. My toes were pressed to the carpet and my legs thrumming with energy ready to spring. A light sweat had broken on along my spine and behind my knees, but it wasn't from the fantastic exertion that I'd been planning on for the night. It wasn't much exertion at all.

Sitting on a leather ottoman, listening to Dante squeal happily in harmony with running bathwater down the hall, and staring fixedly on the shadowed figure leaned against the balcony railing was not my idea of a pleasant evening. There had been worse nights, far worse, but only five hours ago I had been teased by the thought that I was going to be writhing in sinful lust at this point of the night. Considering the afternoon we just had it wasn't surprising, but right now I was too scared to even go and join my brother and Promise to play with my son. Too suspicious to even shake the pins and needles out of my ankles by taking a walk.

Cassie was outside on the balcony with a cigarette trailing smoke in coiling patterns against the black sky. It wasn't a good sign. She didn't smoke often; apparently it was an old habit she had neither totally succumbed to nor kicked. I noticed she usually wanted or had one in moments of great stress. Not that I blamed her in this situation. Not only were our lives in danger from three different factions, but our son's life lied in the balance now. The Auphe, the Evati/Kin and now the Vigil. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about a group of misguided humans hunting me down, but these douchebags had not only managed to wrangle a suitcase nuclear bomb in a rather narrow amount of time, but they caught Cassie and I once. They knew how to stop us from traveling and they were the reason Dante was even a possibility. They had proven themselves an adversary and the fact that they had vested interest in gaining possession of Dante (same as the Auphe, actually) didn't help.

I knew Castiella wanted to leave. Well, not wanted, but she thought that was the best option. She wanted me and Nik to protect Dante and she wanted to run off and complete the mission. The Leandros family didn't work like that and she was damned well going to get used to that fact. So I was stuck, tense and ready to bolt after her be it through gate or off the railing. She didn't want me out there with her, which is exactly what she said when I tried to talk to her. I thought I deserved some points for surrendering and staying several feet and a sliding glass door away from her; I doubted she would feel the same.

"Did you know that the oldest lock was found in the Khorsabad palace ruins near Nineveh." My eyes left Cassie's form for just as long as it took me to roll my eyes. I didn't know who invited Goodfellow over, but I wasn't in the mood and he was about to find out if he annoyed me in the slightest. "Said to be from as early as 250 b.c. The humans have been finding ways to lock up their precious belongings for thousands and thousands of years, hence why I am so damned good at picking them."

His footfalls stopped next to me, soft due to Promise's plush carpet. I felt the brush of his expensive clothes against my elbow as he crouched besides me. That made me give him a sidelong glance; Robin didn't wrinkle his pants for just anyone. He looked dapper and pressed as always in a pale green shirt that set off his eyes and brown pants of some fabric I didn't even know the name of. It was pretty casual for him, so I didn't think he was coming from work. Taking note of the slight dampness of his curly hair and the strong scent of expensive soap and oils, my bets were on Ishiah's apartment. I resented that he looked so refreshed, while I was ready to jump out of my skin. It didn't help that he continued prattling on. "So why is it that the most wanted guns-for-higher failed to utilize a concept that less advanced humans realized was of great importance?"

I clasped at the bridge of my nose and groaned. "What the fuck are you talking about, Loman?"

He propped his chin up with his hand. There wasn't the usual vivacious grin on his overly handsome face, instead he looked almost as somber as he did when I told him Cassie was dead. "You left the door unlocked."

"And you think a lock would stop what's after us?"

He pressed his lips together. "Fair enough."

"What do you want?"

"A little birdie told me that the lady vamp and your brother were babysitting so you and Cas could have some quality time."

I glared. "If you tell me you came over to watch, I will castrate you."

"I came over because I also heard about the rise of the Evati," he said a little more somberly. "And I figured that might dull the mood. And as a puck I can't very well allow that to happen...or not happen, as it were."

"I'm slightly disturbed right now, because I'm not exactly sure why you are here. So spill it before I punch you in the face you hold in such high regard." He patted me on the back which made me justifiably flinch, considering he'd just been talking about sex in conjunction with the reason he was here.

"Go to your bedroom. Slip into something a little more comfortable, and wait," Robin commanded. "I'll go talk to her."

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to read what exactly he meant by all of this. He was a friend, had been through a ton of shit with us through the years, but somehow I doubted he came all the way over to Promise's to pep-talk my girlfriend into sleeping with me. Then I rewound that thought through my head, realized who I was talking to, and figured that could very well have been his reason. "If you show up naked in my doorway. I _will_castrate you."

Robin snorted. "You wish and you wish you could." He stood up with my eyes still locked on him in suspicion. I hesitated while he smoothed down the front of his shirt and raked a hand through his hair. "Stop glaring at me like I'm about to sully your son. I know Cassie. I know what she's thinking right now. And I know the only one that can keep her from running off again is you and that little bundle of overzealous energy in the next room. So I'm asking you for your help. I'll get her in your arms and you remind her of what she would be walking away from."

Although the comment about defiling my son brought up a few horrific scenarios for the future (even I knew Robin wasn't perverted enough to try anything before Dante was through puberty), he had a point. And he had a plan, one that just might work and one that I wasn't adverse to. I rose from the ottoman, giving him a nod of acceptance. "I'm going to check on Dante first." I paused at his side, reconsidering his first comment. "And if you so much as cast a lingering look at my son when he comes of your preferred age, I—"

"Will castrate me. I get it," Goodfellow looked over his shoulder at me with that wicked grin I was used to. "Wouldn't dream of it, papa."

I cast him a scathing look, unconvinced even if he was still going strong with Ishiah. I just had to have faith that by that point Dante would be able to castrate Robin himself.

Niko glanced up when I cracked open the bathroom door; the smile on his face flinched for a moment before becoming more rueful. "Hey, little brother. Jumping into the fray?"

The bathroom floor was soaked and both Nik and Promise were splashed with ample amounts of water. They were using the communal bathroom, which was just slightly smaller than three normal bathrooms put together. There was a modernized sink with a raised basin and silver dials, a pristine toilet that probably hadn't sported a ring since it was installed, and a series of maple cabinets against the opposite wall from the large tub. I was impressed to see little water spots on both the eggshell walls and the cabinets. My son had damned good aim already.

"I think you're losing the fight."

"No kidding," Niko smirked. A new stream doused my brother in the chest, creating a darker color on his gray shirt as he spoke. I chuckled and approached them. Niko was straddling the lip, with one pant rolled up and his foot submerged in soapy water. Dante was half-draped over his knee, wiggling like a cat trying to escape the water torture. He was laughing, thankfully, finding it a game to defy them. Promise was perched on the edge of the tub, sitting with her long legs out and angled so Niko got most of the back splash. She had a towel over her lap to prevent the moisture from getting on her as well. Her dark hair was twisted up into a sloppy bun, which was extremely uncharacteristic of her and her expression was one of weary amusement. I guessed they would be rethinking that whole baby thing now.

"Daaaaddy," Dante crowed. He reached out his arms to me, but slipped on the tub floor and ended up jamming his chin against Niko's thigh. Nik had a good enough hold on him that he didn't fall into the water, but his rounded features screwed up in his version of a tantrum and he whimpered. Opps, he must have hurt himself with that one.

Niko lifted him out of the tub and onto his lap despite him being drenched from head to toe. "Hey, hey, it's all right. See?" He tilted up Dante's chin to make sure there wasn't a bruise forming. I crouched down beside him to check as well. Dante sniffled, his face red, but he didn't cry. His chin was a little pink from the scratch of Niko's pants, but it was nothing and I knew Dante would figure that out quickly. I dropped a kiss to his forehead for good measure anyway.

"This is why you shouldn't be so rough in the bath," I told him. "It's just a scratch. My little Ace can handle that, right?" His round gray eyes were watery and he pulled at my shirt so I would pick him up. I indulged him, figuring patronizing a two year old was better than him screaming. He was being a champ anyway; he deserved a little coddling. "When did he learn 'daddy'?"

"We were teaching him," Niko replied, brushing a hand over Dante's hair as Promise helped me wrap him up in a towel. "His 'yes' is still 'ah', but he's got 'daddy' and 'mommy' down. Currently Promise is 'Pah-mas' and I'm 'Un-nigo'."

I laughed at that. "Trouble with the r's and k's, huh?"

"He'll get it. Where's Cassie?" Just like my brother to get to the point without hesitation.

"Goodfellow's here. He's talking to her on the balcony." I could see a little tension wane from Nik's face, which meant he was just as concerned about her running off as I was. He nodded to himself, trailing his fingers through Dante's wet hair absently. Promise was busying herself with cleaning up the huge bathroom while we talked. It surprised me, since I expected her to leave it for her cleaners to take care of; or maybe that was just what my lazy-self would do if I had the luxury of cleaners.

"I'm still going to have you guys take him for the night, if you don't mind?" I muttered against Dante's hand, which was currently pressed over my mouth. His other fisted the front of my shirt, leaving me just as damp as my brother and Promise. "I think I should probably have a long talk with her too."

"I'll go get his bed ready," Promise said and slipped out of the bathroom. Niko didn't question my request either. Apparently, both of them thought a heart to heart with my girlfriend was a great idea, even if I was dreading it.

Niko stood from the tub, shaking out his pruned foot and lifting Dante out of my arms. "You're coming with me tonight, little one. Sleep over with Uncle Niko, right?" Dante made a little trilling sound that pieced my ears just slightly. I could see it affected Nik a bit more –good thing Promise had left when she did– but at least it was happy affirmation even if not in our human language.

"Translation was pretty much 'yay'," I told Niko. He gazed at me in concern then looked at Dante with a frown. I sighed and pulled myself up from the floor. "Yeah, that was Grendel-speak, though not even enunciated well for that."

Niko hummed softly, his worry quelled only when Dante curled over and laid his head on Nik's shoulder. "I guess we should put him down for bed." I grunted, dotted a kiss to Dante's crown, and patted Niko's shoulder before turning and leaving the bathroom.

I had no idea if I'd given Robin enough time to talk Cassie down from jumping the coop, but when I passed through the living room I couldn't see either of them on the balcony. Goodfellow didn't seem to even be in the apartment anymore and I chided myself for not hearing him leave. With everything that was going on I really needed to be hyper aware of my surroundings; I wasn't just facing a slap across the back of my head for my obliviousness nowadays. I could hear someone was in the guest room where I usually slept when over at Promise's and, by the weight of the footfalls and the sharpening scent of wildflower and earth, I assumed it was Castiella. That steadied my heart; not seeing her on the balcony had sped it up a little. Of course it got quiet a jolt when I turned the threshold into my room.

The light on the nightstand was on and casting minimal illumination onto the bare expanse of Cassie's back. She glanced over her equally bare shoulder and smiled at me. "Hey, Cali." She did a quick double take and chuckled. "Decide to take a bath with your clothes on?"

I could only produce a negative grunt worthy of a meat-head Neanderthal in response. She was in nothing but a pair of little gray panties trimmed with blue lace. Her autumn blond hair trailed over her shoulder, which left her back beautifully in view from rounded shoulders to the dimples at the small of her back. The panties were bikini and curved high over her ass, leaving some of the roundness exposed too. I swallowed, unable to remove my eyes from her perfect cinched waist (she bounced back from having a child well, I had to say), the subtle curve of her hips, the crease where ass met thigh when she shifted her weight to one foot.

"Wow," I heard her snicker. I forced my eyes to her face, which was just as perfect to me, especially when she smiled coyly. She had an old shirt of mine in her hand, the other still in my duffel bag where she'd been rifling. "You haven't had sex since I left, have you?"

That pulled me out of my revere for a moment. "Have you?"

She snorted and started slipping her arm through one of the armholes. "Oh, yes, tons. Men could not resist a pregnant half auphe that hadn't slept and sometimes hadn't bathed for weeks." I continued to stare, not quiet convinced since I knew men and most of that wouldn't stop them. Plus she was running from the Auphe and while it might not be of pleasure (more like of horror) they could have taken her too in my absence. My stared turned into a leer, when she dropped her arm, the shirt still around her elbow leaving her breasts in view. Damn, what I wanted to do to that body. "That was a joke, Cal."

"Please don't put that shirt on," I muttered, tearing my gaze from her breasts to look her in the eye. She seemed confused for a moment, as if I was asking her that for any reason other than just wanting her to stay deliciously naked. Her heart-shaped face tilted and her mahogany eyes trailed down my body to where I was sure she could see my reaction. She grinned; oh, yeah, she could see it.

''Come here," she beckoned, tossing the shirt back into my duffel back. I pulled the door closed and was on her almost as fast as it would have taken me to travel. Her skin was cold from being outside, but lord I didn't care. Her mouth was hot and ardent against mine and her fingers a welcomed chill along my scalp. I lifted her and her legs wrapped around me, not even releasing when I dropped us to the bed.

"Nn, I don't know what he said to you, but remind me to thank Goodfellow." I yanked her panties down and trailed kisses along her stomach. She caught me by my hair before I could get to the thin trail of dark blond hair between her legs. I moaned in regret for even saying anything.

"Did you send him out there?"

"No, he went on his own. Can't this wait?"

Cassie giggled and tugged gently on my nape to urge me up her body. At first I didn't mind since her full lips danced over my jaw and took my mouth tantalizingly. "I wasn't going to leave, Caliban," she whispered against my lips. "I just needed a moment alone to come to terms with that. It's a new concept for me."

I pulled back to meet her gaze, staring into her dark eyes for confirmation of the truth. "You're not going to leave?"

"No, we're a family. We fight as a family. I'm not leaving." It was amazing that those words made me almost as hard as her naked body did. She drifted her fingers through my hair and grazed her thumbnails down my short sideburns. "I love you, Caliban. I love you and I love this family. I need to stay here to protect it."

I gaze down at her a little longer, until her smile twisted into something wicked. She slid her fingers down my front. She didn't even bother with my shirt first, she just went right to unbuttoning my jeans. "That's all for now. The rest can wait." She bit her lower lip and tugged at my nape again, only this time in the opposite direction. "You can continue."

I snickered, but didn't hesitate to obey that order.

There were some memories, a few, that I rejoiced their return. They were the moments like when Niko was teaching me to shoot a Glock for the first time. We couldn't afford to go to a shooting range; Niko was only eighteen so he couldn't even consent to me using a weapon. So we went out in the woods, set up a few soda cans and it took me eight tries before I even clipped one. My brother had been so damned patient, which might have had something to do with me still coming down from Auphe-PTSD at the time. It was a bonding moment, a bonding moment a little more obvious than most.

There were more of them than I recalled ever having in my lifetime, though I supposed that made sense since they were empty spaces in my head unnoticed until they were filled in. Can't miss what you didn't know was there to begin with. Even the little flashes of mundane memories were a nice change from blood, gore, and nightmares. Watching late night movies in a shitty hotel while Niko attempted to keep up his studies; attempted because I had been distracting him with popcorn projectiles. Even the time when Niko punched me in the stomach so hard I vomited was a good memory. Mostly because I was so drunk at the time (and only seventeen, hence the punch) that I hardly felt it. He helped me clean up with a deep frown of concern and put me to bed with an affectionate brush of his hand over my forehead. I never got that drunk again...well, until I forgot all my memories and the reason why I _didn't _drink in excess.

Those memories were good. Those memories I liked. And I had another one to add to the small pile as I lied exhausted on my bed with Cassie curled up against my shoulder. I didn't know if it was her slow breathing that danced warmth across my bare chest, or the sensation of her soft hair drifting under my chin when she shifted in slumber, but whatever the trigger I remembered our first time. It was far different in retrospect. In the moment it was intense, fiery, and a rush of passion and need. For days afterward, I remembered clearly her smell intensified by our activities, the feel of her soft warm skin and the twisting of her muscles against me. I remembered craving that full-lipped mouth like an addict would crave their next fix.

In the darkness of Promise's guest room, in the quiet of the night, I remembered more about that night than I had the morning after. All those blurred moments in between the lust and ardent friction, were shown in new clarity. Probably because now I knew how much I loved her; the morning after all I was certain of was that I would get her hurt and I wanted her so damned much. I could picture it in my head and closed my eyes to let the memory come. I didn't even mind the headache when it traced sparks through my brain.

It was a similar situation. Me awake, Cassie asleep for the moment. I stared at the ceiling, confused and slightly uncomfortable sleeping with her so close. That was until I glanced over at her. I recalled feeling a tremor of fear run through me. Fearing what I felt, how quickly I wanted to lose myself in the warmth that she wrapped around me. I touched her cheek and brushed my fingers over her temple to push dark blond locks away from her round face. It was shorter then, she'd just gotten I cut. My fingers had traced the healing skin where Delilah had sank her teeth in that night and watched Cassie's eyelashes flutter as she woke. Her eyes were so dark in the moonlight, but even that didn't stop them from expressing emotions I never thought someone would dare show me.

Thinking back I knew in that moment I had fallen in love with her. At the time, I continued fighting that tooth and nail for another few weeks. For once the memory didn't link to several others and pinball through my skull like a painful slide show set to a strobe light. For once it was just that serene moment in time. I smiled to myself. My life was fucked up and for the longest time I hated the thought of a higher power pulling the strings and using me as its own personal chew toy. George always said there was a reason for things to happen the way they did. I sort of believed it now. Just a little bit.

I shifted and placed a firm kiss to Cassie's brow. Just like the first time her eyelashes fluttered and lifted to show me those soulful dark eyes. "Hey," I whispered with a half smile.

"Hey, yourself. I'm trying to sleep here." I snickered and nudged my nose into the crook of her neck, kissing it and making her twitch as it tickled her. She smacked me lightly on the cheek, even as she smiled. "I missed you."

"You promise you're not leaving," I asked. I didn't know if it was me disbelieving her words or me just not being able to wrap my head around the concept that I didn't want her to leave _that_badly.

"I'm not leaving, Cali," she assured me. Her dark eyes flickered to each of mine. "Is that seriously why you woke me up?"

"You'll stay with me for the rest of my life?"

"Yes. Jeez, Caliban, were you always so need—" She cut herself off. Full lips parting as she stared at me, figuring out what I just said. I knew what it implied and I meant it. "Did you just propose to me?"

I grinned and threw her onto her back, arms pinned over her head. She could out maneuver me easily. Hell, she'd tossed me to the bed with five bullets in her and a healing spine, but she let me take control for the moment, or was too shocked to react. "I love you." I kissed her jaw where the three scars scoured down her neck to her sternum. I followed the path, speaking between the moments of breath and contact. "I want you. I need you. You are the mother of my son and the best partner in bed I have ever had."

"You're proposing to me, I can't believe it." Cassie laughed and tilted her head down to catch my mouth. Mischief twinkled in her eyes. "You know you're not the first, right?"

I frowned. "Way to spoil that."

"I never said yes," she countered with a wicked grin. "Not to them." I stared at her, bracing my arms to either side of her body for more balance. Her arms slid down from their surrendering position over her head and wrapped around my chest with slow contact. "You're different."

"I'm one of a kind," I teased. "Does that mean I get a yes?"

Cassie's hands stroked down my sides, tripping over my ribs seductively. "I can't promise to stay with you until your dying day, Caliban. You know I can't, but I can promise you that only death with part us."

I was going to argue, but considering she had died not a few weeks ago she had a valid point. Our lives were anything but predictable. Danger of death ran in pretty much every step we took. So her promise was about as good as I could hope for. The mere fact that I was pretty much asking her to be my wife was uncharacteristic and mushy enough that I didn't need to push this into some flowery romance novel. I bent and touched my lips to hers. "Fine, 'til death do us part."

"Does this mean I get my very own fake ID? Cassie Leandros?" I had to admit that had a nice ring to it. Cassie's hands started down to my hips in the same methodical dance; apparently she wasn't upset about being woken up anymore. "Or would it be Cassie Krueger? Vorhees?"

She probably would have went on, but I didn't let her. The night was young and I had every intention of taking advantage of every second we had alone together. Considering where her hands had settled, Cassie seemed to have the same idea.

Morning came in the form of a very devilishly smirking puck leaning over me. It wasn't what I wanted to see first thing and I expressed this by kicking him in the chest and felling him to the carpet. He had been expecting a punch or the swipe of my knife, so the kick actually worked. Goodfellow still laughed at the action. There hadn't been much force behind it; I'd just wanted him more than a few inches from my face considering what he'd done the last time we were in close quarters.

"Morning, sunshine."

I growled at him as I turned over and pulled the sheets halfway over my head. I could feel the weight and warmth of Castiella next to me, but the distribution of it made me think she was sitting up. I didn't look; I would have gotten upset if she wasn't covering herself and I doubted she was. She had some sort of futile trust in her puck best friend that I didn't share.

"Come on, we have plans to make," Robin went on. I felt a sharp slap to my ass and bolted upright. I wanted to believe it was Cassie, I really did.

"Robbie, don't touch what doesn't belong to you," she said, dashing my hope that Robin's hand hadn't just been on my ass. She dotted a kiss to my temple before departing the bed. I was still half asleep and a little disoriented with past memories of waking up with Cassie at my side mixing with the present. That meant that Goodfellow was in the clear for the moment, only because I couldn't think of an inventive enough way to kill him. He also got some points for not watching Castiella walk around in nothing but a whimsical smile. Instead he kept his eyes on me, patting my arm to get my bleary attention.

"Cal, I know you had a very eventful night, but we really do need to get some semblance of a plan formed regarding the Evati."

I took in a deep breath that was supposed to be a sigh, but winced when I felt pain along the back curve of my ribs. I craned my neck, pulling my shoulder forward to see my back. It wasn't a muscle pain, even though it intensified when I pulled. Robin let off a chuckled that doubled as a sympathetic hiss as he peeled back the sheet to get a better few of what I then realized were claw marks. "As I said, a very eventful night. You need to be a little more careful with your toys, Cas," Goodfellow teased, then, when I shifted again, clasped my shoulder. "Stop moving, you're bleeding now."

Cassie clamored back onto the bed donning one of my shirts and a new pair of underwear. It was better than nothing, but I still didn't like her half nude in front of Robin. The puck may have been loyal to Ishiah, but that didn't stop him from undressing my girlfriend with his eyes...or just staring at her since she had done the undressing part herself a few seconds ago.

"Oh, Cali. I'm sorry." She leaned over me to look at my back as well and made the same hissing sound as Goodfellow. "Oh, shit that was definitely more than nails. I'm sorry."

"I wasn't complaining at the time," I grinned into my pillow. I was becoming a little more aware of my surroundings as I woke up and most of that awareness was focused on the fact that the love of my life looked exceedingly sexy in a tee shirt that barely covered her ass, which was only covered in partially see-through underwear. Cassie smiled at me and allowed the kiss I urged when I sat up.

"Hit the shower," she ordered. "I'll bring some antibiotic to clean that up when you get out."

I hummed an affirmative and shot a glare at Robin until he pulled himself up and rolled his eyes. I wasn't about to run around the room naked; as said before, I didn't trust Goodfellow like Cassie did. "It's not like its something I haven't seen."

"Get out."

He snorted and pointed at both of us in turn. "Niko said ten minutes. I'll give you thirty, but we need to talk about this." I grumbled another few sounds of acquiescence, enough that he departed from the room, closing the door behind him.

I turned on the bed, hooked an arm around Cassie's waist and flopped on top of her. She giggled, running her fingers through my tangled hair as I nuzzled against her chest. The fabric was in the way, but she hadn't put a bra on yet so I could still indulge. "Cali, we need to clean that up. It can't be comfortable." I groan in response; maybe I wasn't as awake as I thought. Cassie coaxed me into the bathroom only when she went in first. We took Robin up on his offer of distracting Niko for a half an hour, having one more romp before we became parents once again.

Niko knocked and peered into the room, while Castiella doctored up my back. From the feel of it and her muttered apologies, I had to guess the scratches were pretty deep. It was worth it though; I knew the exact moment she sliced me and was proud of the fact that I made her produce such a powerful climax.

"What happened?" Nik asked with sudden shock and fear running through his body. He pushed the door open, eyes flitting over both of us frantically. Cassie was fully dressed now in a pair of Promise's jeans rolled up at the hem and one of my newer tee shirt that read: _I'd tell you to GO TO HELL, but I work there and I don't want to see you everyday._I was shirtless, but my brother had patched me up so many times I doubted he cared.

His expression remained concerned for all of two seconds. Then he registered my smug smirk and the sheepish expression Cassie was probably giving him. I only assumed it was sheepish because Nik glared at her over my shoulder and she spoke meekly in reply. "I won't let it happen again, I promise."

"I don't make that promise," I added.

Niko leaned against the bedroom threshold and sighed. "Are you almost done? Your son is having separation anxiety."

I chuckled and took the shirt Cassie was offering me, apparently she was done. I shrugged it on and followed Niko out of the room. Not two steps into the living room and I had a two foot tall midget on my leg. I hoisted him up immediately, refusing to admit that I actually missed him a little last night. Dante mewled something that _almost _sounded like 'hello daddy' and wrapped his arms around my neck in a hug/choke hold. Cassie came around me to greet our son with a smile and a nuzzling of noses. It would have made me gag at the cuteness if I didn't love them both so much.

The warm reunion was only spoiled when I breached the hallway from the guest room and suddenly felt like I just walked into a secret meeting of war tactics. I don't know why I was expecting pancakes and delightful breakfast conversation. Silly me.


	19. Chapter 19 Cal

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**CAL**

The sitting and dining rooms had become a scene out of a mafia movie. Like all the key players were gathering to figure out how to protect the family from the local gang bent on taking over. Not a far off analogy really, but I didn't expect the company to have grown overnight.

Niko stood between Ishiah and Promise over the dining room table. The white, high-backed chairs had been pushed asunder in all directions to make room for inevitable pacing. Only one of the chairs was occupied and that was by Rafferty. The werewolf healer sat low in the seat with one ankle braced to the knee of the other leg and one hand lifted up to brush over the arm of his now-obvious-to-even-me mate. Mia, I think they called her. She wasn't draped over the back of the chair like a doting trophy, but Raff still kinda looked like the Godfather with the pretty woman standing over him.

In the adjacent sitting room, Catcher and his other two pack mates were distracting the fluffy-tailed werewolf pups with Dante's few meager toys. Both seemed to be a little old for them, but they also didn't seem to care. Robin was in the room with them, but half sitting on the back of the white couch to face the dining room and partake in the conversation while still being able to leave room to walk away if he got bored.

I paused in the space between the two rooms, looking around the full apartment in confusion. "I missed something."

"I'm sure you're accustomed to that feeling by now," Goodfellow quipped without hesitation.

"Rafferty and Catcher came to help," Niko explained. "They heard about the Evati reestablishing."

"Someone's got to keep you boys out of trouble, especially when this situation is indirectly my fault," Rafferty added. He looked calm enough for a wolf with the Kin out to hunt him and his cousin down. Then again, the Kin's focus seemed to have shifted to taking out the Harbinger first.

"Pretty sure this one is a group effort," I joked. I started to put Dante down so he could go play with the older boys, but he let off a sound that was as close to a wail as he'd ever gotten and clung to me like a squirrel on a wind-roiled branch. "All right, all right," I anchored him back to my hip, tilting my head to see his screwed up face. "Has he been like this all morning?"

"All morning," Rafferty offered with a snort. "Stuck to Niko's leg like a tumor."

I frowned and nudged my nose to Dante's temple, breathing in his foxglove scent for a moment. I was never a very social creature and I was pretty sure Castiella grew into her vibrant personality from rock bottom, but it still bothered me a little that Dante was so adverse to new people. Maybe it was the dad in me, because normally I would praise him for his selective trust.  
And speaking of selective trust...I didn't like how Cassie made a bee-line right to Catcher. Granted, there was a couch between them and she obviously was going to speak with Robin first, but that didn't stop Catcher from turning in his seat to focus on my girlfriend. No, I guess she was more than that now. My fiancé? That just sounded weird when we weren't even considering marriage. She was mine, regardless and Catch needed to come to terms with that.

"Any players we know?" Cassie asked Goodfellow. She leaned up against the couch next to him, sparing Catcher only a quick hair ruffle. I felt a little better at that greeting. "Volcheck, Erot, and Semalyski. After the incident in Nice, I didn't hear any news of the Evati; I think we both assumed we'd killed enough of them for the pack to leave us be, but about one hundred years after you ran out on me for the _third_time I made nice with a wolf from the Aggi crew and he told me a plethora of information. Needless to say his loose jaw eventually got him 'running no more', but that is beside the point."

Cassie glanced over her shoulder with an inquiring look toward the blond male wolf. I didn't remember his name, but he seemed normal enough playing with two rowdy pups in Promise's sitting room. "Hey," he snapped when he caught Cassie's glance. "I'm not that old, Harbinger."

"Well, you're the only wolf running from the Aggi crew that _I_know," Cassie teased.

"No, this wolf was skinned and cut into pieces," Robin interjected. I saw the blond swallow and turn his attention back to the tikes; I didn't blame him for not wanting to think about that image. If he was running from the same pack he probably would share the same fate if they found him. Luckily, he now had a friend who could stop the heart of any wolf that messed with them. Lucky me for that too. "Volcheck, Erot and Semalyski all started new packs. No better than beta males at the time, but now they are probably as formidable as Cerberus."

"I don't remember them."

Robin sighed ever so slightly and recited three short phrases in another language. Cassie smirked like a little kid who'd just made up her own curse words and they were catching on. "To translate, I suppose it would be: Snub-nose…, Tail-rot, and Psycho-puppy."

"I remember now," Cassie offered. I chuckled, loving my girl even more; she didn't know their names and the ones she came up for them were the kind that I would use as well. "And please. Snub and Rot are nothing. Pyscho might be trouble."

"All of them have a large following, Cassie," Catcher chimed in.

"So we gain more experience points when we kill the bastards." I tried to contain my own smirk in Cassie's response, especially because a heavy percentage of the gathering was watching her, dubious and indignant. It was entertaining to say the least; most of the time she was a lite version of a righteous peri, but I really adored these moment when the Auphe broke through; that gun-slinging ask questions after the blood bath kind of thought process. I found it so endearing. Robin didn't share my affection for the kill-switch response though.

He clapped his hands together as if preparing to host a cooking show and flashed a smile just as phony. "Great, then I'll just run out and buy you that papoose I'd been eyeing. The one with the tiny machine gun attached. I'm sure Dante will get the hang of it before the wolves rip his throat out." Sarcasm aside that sounded like an awesome baby accessory.

"So what do you suggest?" Niko asked, leaning against the dining room table with his eyes lifted to Robin. Obviously, after Cassie's half-cocked proposal, he determined who would be the one to conjure up the sane plan and the fact that it was Goodfellow made me realize how desperate we'd become.

"I suggest waiting. Lying low until we know who, how many, and logically what their moves might be."

I snorted. "And how might we do that? The Kin aren't really on speaking terms with any of us and I doubt even you can sweet talk that kind of information from them."

"You have such little faith in my abilities and after all I've shown you? All the grace and knowledge I've given, which your vagrant brain has yet to comprehend, and you entertain the doubt that I would be unable to manipulate a few flea-ridden mongrels?" He actually had the courtesy to tip an imaginary hat toward Rafferty, adding, "Present company excluded," before turning back to me, awaiting an answer to his rhetorical rambling. At my glare, he sighed. I couldn't tell if it was false disheartened frustration or if he was actually a little peeved. Either way I didn't much care. I trusted him to have my family's back that was faith enough; anything else he claimed he could do or actually did was nothing to me. My lack of response didn't stop him from prattling on either. "I've never been a family man. Considering pans don't sire children in the conventional 'human' fashion, it is no surprise that paternal instinct is one of the few things that eludes me. It never held much baring on my life as vast as that time may be, but regardless, here I am trust into the role one of my magnitude should never be subjected to—"

"The role of crazy uncle?" I intoned. He certainly couldn't claim the role of father that was reserved for the floundering idiot, bouncing the kid to his hip.

Robin gave me a sour look for interrupting him. "I'm a godfather now," he said dramatically.

"Right." Beside me, Cassie was trying her best not to burst out laughing. I didn't try to hide the fact that his ego still managed to astound me by its ever-expanding size. "Did you forget that I was sired by a race of pure evil? Pretty much means if I try to practice anything of _any_ religion I will spontaneously combust. Besides you don't touch my son unless myself, Cas, Nik, _and_ Promise are all dead. In that order."

"You will regret that decision," Robin grumbled. "Especially with how Promise's last one turned out."

"You had a point to this," Nik commented. It was a low blow from Goodfellow, but Promise ignored it with poise. There was always contention between them –pretty much always contention between a puck and any race of _paien_– but it wasn't often that Goodfellow let the razor sharp words slip out. Promise had come to terms with her daughter's poor and murderous choices over time. She had been trying to set the bitch straight before Cherish even managed to wrangle a Chupacabra that had a knack for mind-melding a dead Cal in pieces on the living room rug. Cherish was old news, dead news, but that didn't stop me from cringing at the comment.

"You stay here with the Auphe trio and let your elders play the game," Robin explained with that arrogant smirk of his. Cassie started to interrupt, but her BFF cut her off, knowing exactly what she was about to say. "And when you _act_ older than Promise I will consider you her elder, you cradle robbing cougar."

I snickered; from insulting Promise to showing respect –you never knew what you were gonna get with Robin. Castiella's mouth snapped shut at his comment. She knew the puck had every right to question her choice of bed-partners, or at least make fun of her. She was sleeping with me. A weaker, dumber, and much, much younger man, but I could admit to each without shame. I wasn't complaining either, as long as we didn't go through her little black book, which had to be pretty extensive since she was friends with a puck who had regular orgies in his apartment pre-monogamy. Friends with him for over a thousand years. That racked up a lot of experience, but I just decided to enjoy the ride with the oblivious naivety of a computer nerd with his con-artist dream girlfriend.

Robin's suggestion gave me pause though, mostly because I didn't like it. Ever since we stopped running from the Auphe, Nik and I stopped running from everything with the exception of some choice memories and several boxes of unwanted emotional baggage. We stood our ground, side by side or back to back. Stepping aside to let out few and only friends pick the fights, our fights, didn't seem natural, let alone right.

"Are you kidding me, right now?" Cassie said with more distain than I thought was warranted. Then again the Evati were after her. She, more than any of us, wouldn't want to back down from that. She crossed her arms under her chest, which I noticed not for the first time since I woke to the vision of her in Raff's surgery, was still marvelously enhanced after birthing and probably nursing Dante. A cup size at least. "I'm trying my best not to gate off and do this on my own because that isn't what my family wants and now you want to bench me completely?"

It was Rafferty that cleared his throat, drawing attention from the puck and the half peri. "Not to point out the obvious, but last week you were dead."

Cassie's shoulders dropped, her arms remained crossed, and she looked off in the direction of the now dozing werewolf pups to avoid eye contact. I watched her back and tried not to think about the new scars on her stomach. I'd traced them with my fingers last night, but I knew it had been black claws that made them, gutting her. "I can accelerate your naturally swift healing, but I can't make white blood cells pop into existence," Raff went on, still sitting comfortably in his chair. "You're still healing and you're in no shape to take on three alphas with vendettas by yourself."

"Robin isn't suggesting you hide, Castiella," Promise assed. She wasn't healed completely either, making it difficult for me –and probably more so Niko– to agree to them fighting our fight. "Ishiah, Robin, and I have certain connections in the city. We have the means to get Kin information without actually speaking to the Kin. What we aresuggesting is that you remain here until we have something to go on. Rushing in blind will not lead to success here."

I still didn't like it, but I begrudgingly admitted it made sense. I wanted this over with. As much as I was itching for a fight, as much as the new and improved Cal wanted to play this round, the bell hadn't rung yet. So the next hour, I tried to just let them hash it out.

Eventually, Raff and Catcher left with their pack, on call for the fallout when that undoubtedly happened. Rafferty was a powerhouse to have in a fight and a ranged fighter too, but he had a new responsibility to his new teammates and Cassie made it clear she didn't want them involved, if it wasn't necessary. I was said to see out healer leave, anticipating a great need for him soon, but he was his own man, capable of his own decisions. It was even briefly discussed that we should have him take Dante with him, but Cas and I shot that down quickly. Rafferty wasn't the only one with new responsibilities and I wasn't about to shirk mine for a good gouge and tumble with the Kin.

As the day wore on the gathering disbursed. First the wolves, then Ishiah. Promise and Robin were the last to leave and they did so together. We were united in his, hostility over words or past actions pushed aside. The first time our band of brothers was larger than two or three. It should have been a comforting thought, but I could only see it as too many bodies in the way of the target. Too much cannon fodder to be had.

Then came that pesky waiting part. The part I hated. Television didn't help – how Promise could survived without the premium package was beyond me, but it also solidified just how perfect she was for my anti-boobtube brother. That would have to change if we moved in with her though. Dante seemed to enjoy the Discovery channel more than I had as a child though. He watched the lions prowl the Serengeti like he was part of the pride and ready to take down the sickly Gazelle in the brush. His shoulders rolled, head tilting as he mimicked the rumbling growls and added a few higher trills of his own Auphe heritage.

Cassie divided her time between accompanying me on the couch, pacing behind it, and peering over Niko's shoulder as skimmed the web for any information that might help up. I knew she wanted to be airborne or gate-bound, tearing into some wolf throats and I wasn't ashamed to admit I craved the same.

We didn't have to wait long, but none of us expected what was behind door number one.

For one, our adversaries didn't often knock on the front door. Usually it was more of a dive and grab, or a kick in and lash out action. They liked to break things about as much as I did, thoroughly. We all knew though; Cassie and I smelled him and Nik probably just knew because he was Nik. Unfortunately, I thought it was Ishiah and Castiella didn't realize otherwise until I was pulling the door open. I recognized her clipped syllable for what it was, a warning, so by the time the door was cracked enough to see our visitor I already had my Glock up and pointed between his dark blond eyebrows.

Molten gold stared fixedly on me instead of the weapon. I wondered briefly if his asshole's ever changed back from the peri-gold or if they were naturally on a temper flare high. Niko was behind me with one of his many blades in hand and from the corner of my eye I could see Cassie. She held Dante protectively in her arms, one wing of peppered white curled around to hide him from view. Her eyes were blazing the same karat as her uncle's.

"Joel, right," I greeted with my finger on the trigger. "To what do we own the displeasure?"

He said nothing. His dark lashed eyes boring into my like he could burn my soul. Little did he know that even I doubted I had one. I decided to be patient for once, remaining just as statue still and lifting my chin to match his haughty look. He was the runt of the Cheris boys. I could see that now. All of them were broad-shouldered and relatively tall, though not much taller than my brother. The exception had been their father, Izrahiah. That was a damned intimidating peri and I was overjoyed when I heard Niko and Robin had crossed their sword through his heart. Joel was more my size. Broad where I was wiry, but just as tall, though his unfurled wings did give a bit more girth. "Could you put those things away? This isn't my place and I don't think they allow two hundred pound parakeets, the neighbors might cause a fuss."

The gold-barred appendages lifted in irritation, but he didn't will them invisible. Well, he waited several seconds and it wasn't until Castiella hid hers from view that he allowed his to disappear. "What are you doing here, Joel?" Obviously, she hadn't expected him back any more than I had. Ishiah told us they would leave us be. The Cheris clan wouldn't attack Cassie until Dante was independent or at least twenty.

I didn't remove the gun from its position between his eyebrows and he didn't move an inch. When he finally spoke it wasn't in English. My finger tightened on the trigger in irritation, disliking that he was obviously being disrespectful to the sheep and half-sheep of the room. Plus I wanted to know what the hell he was saying. Cassie knew and she remained silent through whatever speech he was offering her. It wasn't a loving admission of douchebaggery on his part, I could tell as much from his level and threatening tone. And the smile he offered at the end was far from familial…or rather it was, just more at home on the other branch of Cas and my family tree.

Cassie spoke in retort, her voice calm despite the tight wrinkles between her eyebrows. She looked like him –I realized. Cassie didn't look much like Ishiah beyond her coloring, which I attributed to her being half-Auphe, but looking at Joel now, up close and personal with the muzzle of my gun millimeters from his skin, I noticed the similarities. He had a rounder face than his brothers, a softer nose, and even a little bow in his upper lip. It made me wonder how much he looked like his sister, how much Cassie looked like her mother, and how much that pissed this dick off. Whatever she had to say, in perian to Joel, he didn't appreciate and cut her off with a sound crossed between a hissing Cockatoo and human groan of disgust.

They fell into silence. Castiella's hand brushed over Dante's dark crown and she hushed him when he squealed something undeniably Auphe. I nearly smiled, catching the phrase and wanted very much to follow through. Perhaps I should have been more concerned with the fact that my two-year-old was telling me to kill the stranger in Promise's doorway, but who was I to judge. It sounded like a good idea to me, but I figured I needed another option. "Cas?"

She didn't say anything for moment, not a smart thing to do when someone was on the brink of discharging a weapon in the fact of your relative. She called to me before I put the last .5 pounds of pressure on the trigger and at the sound of her voice Joel spun to leave. He knocked the barrel aside as he made the turn, as if he knew just how eager I was to let the bullet free. The vibration against the metal almost had me fire it. I managed to keep it in the chamber, re-aiming at the back of his skull as he walked down the hall toward the elevator.

"Leave it," Cassie told me. So I did, but that didn't stop me from slamming and locking the door. When I turned around Cassie was still behind my brother. That in and of itself said volumes regarding her fear for Dante. Not that I blamed her. The peris had wanted Castiella dead for several millennia for her party fouls forever ago, then to see her content and with a child just like her… It was no wonder Joel came back. I was just surprised he didn't finish the job himself, or try. Niko trailed his eyes between the two of us before resting them on Dante.

"What did he say?"

"Dante was calling for blood," I smirked and ruffled my son's tousled hair. "What the peri was saying, I don't know." Niko gave me a weary look for my stating the obvious. Neither of us knew perian and my brother didn't know Auphe, but he had to have seen my reaction after Dante spoke. He knew a vicious plea when he heard one. Kill the bad man, daddy.

"Joel was calling for blood, too. A duel," Castiella lifted Dante from her body and plopped him against my chest. I managed to holster the Glock before he slipped down my front to the floor. And Niko managed to catch Cassie's arm before she went for the door.

"No, you promised this would be a family's effort." And that was how it always was. Nik and I fighting for our lives, for each others lives. It didn't matter whose fault it was or what was after whom, all that matter was that we wouldn't be able to get through it without one another. Or well, I wouldn't have been able to get through it without Niko. Cassie stared at my brother, arm pulled back, ready to shake him off, but she didn't. He would have been unrelenting anyway. "You said that. You promised Cal that you wouldn't leave. I like you Cassie, I really do. I appreciate all you have done for my brother and the scrapes you have gotten him out of, but I swear to you if you leave him again we are done."

"I'm not leaving him, Niko." She was trying to assure him, but the tightness in her tone belied a temper on the edge. Her peri heritage gave her that extra conscious that enabled her to be more stable on that scale between good and evil incarnate, but it also gave her a hair-trigger temper. It wasn't something Auphe had. They didn't partake in a grand spectrum of emotions, mostly I noticed boredom, bloodlust, and (for me at least) sexual desire were the forerunners. If there was a game, I wanted to play it, if it wasn't a challenge I wanted to kill it quickly and walk away. It had to be entertaining and it had to cause pain, mine or someone else's. I was noticing the desire for these things more and more. The more memories that came back the more solid I felt, but I gave up a part of me when I let them return. I gave up a bit of my humanity, if not all of it, and the only things keeping me grounded and not on a psychotic murdering spree were my brother, my lover, and my son.

I knew Cassie had similar priorities, but her go-to emotions were much different. As viciously protective as Niko on a bad day, she wanted to end every living creature that so much as gave me or Dante the stink eye. Before, when it had just been me, she'd let a lot more slide. She knew I could handle my own battles and she knew I was used to the distain, letting it drip off me like water on a raincoat, but Dante was a different story. He was her baby and I had to reason with her to bring her down from her skewed Auphe/peri need to slaughter. "All right, mama lion, before you go charging off for the final battle, why don't you tell us what's going on?"

She wet her full lips. Niko let her twist out of his hold when her feet became more grounded and not ready to spring for the door. Not that she needed to, she could have gated, but she allowed us to stop her. "In the peris' culture a duel is how they settle most disagreements. Even if it's between several factions or even full clans. Pick a champion, champions fight and whoever comes out on top is the one that won the disagreement. As battles go, it is quiet effective in keeping casualties down and peace between the clans, but that is only because it is widely accepted within all the peri clans. Joel is challenging me to a duel; he says the others have no knowledge of this and the treaties to spare Dante until he's old enough stand." She paused to take in a long breath and raked her fingers through her hair, mussing the beginning of the smooth plait it had been in. "He's arguing that this duel isn't for my past crimes, but to avenge his family and honestly he has every right to challenge me for that. So does Ishiah."

"That's bullshit and you know it," I grouched. That was the thing I hated about _paien_ cultures. All of them had these stupid little manipulative tricks of deceit and honor. Castiella had no reason to feel guilty for killing the leaders of the Cheris clan. She was protecting herself and, more importantly, saving my ass. She would have never harmed them if they had left her alone. She was honorable in that agreement and they chose deceit. Fuck the peris' culture. "So you want to what? Go meet that peri prick and fight him to the death? What does that prove?"

"If I kill him my punishment for murdering my family will be excused. If he kills me his vengeance will be complete. No one else involved. No one else fighting. And I can take him. Even as a peri with a blade, I know I can best him."

"I have no doubt of that, but I still call shenanigans. It's a trap, Cas." I approached her with Dante, hoping his puppy-dog eyes would entice her not to be so reckless more than my words. "It's _obviously_ a trap."

She shook her head. "They wouldn't do that. The others of the Cheris clan wouldn't agree to an ambush, not after they decreed that they wouldn't harm me with Dante as my dependant."

"You didn't even know about that decree before!"

"I know they will uphold it."

"You already said Joel didn't even tell them! _They'll_ uphold nothing—"

"They won't set a trap, Cal! Joel would never get their support for that and he would need more than himself for an ambush!"

"Stop," Niko cut in, actually having to slide his arm between us to separate us. He didn't realize that Cassie and I used to argue like that all the time, peri/Auphe temper meets human/Auphe arrogance. Usually it ended with us making out or toppling to the bed…or one of us storming out. Maybe Nik did realize it was the same kind of argument. He turned to Cassie first, tone even and ready to reason this out. "At Rafferty's place, Ishiah said the others agreed to leave Dante be until he is of age. This is a similar concept to how they avoid fighting in a village that has women and children in it?" Cassie nodded to affirm his half-rhetorical question. Niko's brow was wrinkled when he glanced over at me, which made my stomach turn. He was going to agree with her.

"Niko—"

"I know the concept is foreign to you, Cal, but the peris are righteous with their honor. Deceit is treated as cold-blooded murder. What Castiella is saying rings true to their traditions. The rest of the Cheris clan regards Castiella as Dante's guardian and they would not break that decree for one peri's vengeance. This is why Joel chose a duel. It follows the peris thoughts of honor."

"But the whole reason for the decree was because Dante's dependant on her. Kill her in a duel would be the same as breaking the decree," I countered, more than a little pissed off that my brother was taking my girlfriends convoluted side. She didn't need encouragement, she needed a slap to the back of her head.

Niko frowned, knowing I wasn't pleased with his decision. His hand went to Dante's crown. Little Ace had started dozing in my arms, his head half tucked under my chin and his breath warm against my chest. He didn't even stir at Niko's touch, actually he didn't even react much to Cassie and I arguing as heatedly as we had been.

"Dante has two parents."

I glared at my brother for the obvious comment. "Yeah, that's kinda necessary for him to have been born."

"I imagine the other peris don't even consider you an option, little brother, but Joel might be able to rationalize that and convince the others that killing Castiella wouldn't break their agreement."

"You want her to go then?" I snapped, trying to keep the volume down for Dante even if the bitterness was thick. "You want her to just run off again, leaving her son behind."

"Cali—"

"No," Niko cut in, waving a hand in front of Castiella to stop her defensive whine. "We fight as a family." He fixed his gray eyes on Cassie. "We're going with you. We will let you fight Joel on your own, but I want to be there if something goes wrong. And if it's a trap, be ready to gate Dante to Rafferty as fast as you possibly can."

Cassie pressed her lips together as they had parted to argue in the middle of Niko's speech. We all knew what 'something goes wrong' meant. He wanted to be there for me if Joel succeeded and he wanted to know for sure he played fair. If he killed Cassie with a trap or an unfair advantage, I had no doubt my brother would rattle the peris' cages until one of them acknowledge Joel's betrayal and _then_ he would kill Joel, or let me do it. And Niko's plan made sense. Even with my three-gate maximum I could get Dante out of a sticky situation and into the arms of a healer that might be able to shield the boy's presence from even the Auphe.

"All right," she finally conceded. Her mahogany eyes fell on me as she attempted an apologetic smile. "Let's do this then." I pressed up to her again, only this time there were no lashing words exchanged. I took her mouth and knocked my forehead to hers when we parted. She hummed softly, still braving that half-hearted smile. "I'll be over before you know it."

"Better be," I grumbled with good nature. "I'm getting hungry."


	20. Chapter 20 Cal

**Chapter Twenty**

**Cal**

Something I learned at a very young age was that no one –and I meant no one– was without sin. One look at the news and religious fanatics were preaching divinity out of one side of their mouth and then raping children in their confession booth or bombing another faction's youth group because of differences of belief. And they were supposed to be the enlightened ones. Then there was the government, the human's law-abiding bull-shitters. The CEOs vacuuming up every fraction of a penny with their private jets while their pawns suffer through minimum wage. The gas stations promoting a greener life style while they fuck the oceans up with more pollution than four hundred humans' carbon footprints. Manipulation and deceit ran like blood-fuel through the veins of any human in a high seat. It was no different with the _paien._

There might be good people out there…somewhere, but I hadn't met one yet. Maybe George, but even she had her flaws. Nik was probably the closest thing that had ever come to good and if it were to save me he wouldn't think twice about murdering a puppy or two. I guess that was more my point. Everyone wanted something. Everyone wanted that one thing that they would do literally anything for. For Niko it was his little brother. For Cassie it was Dante, and maybe me. For me that one thing had multiplied to three, which was dangerous. And those three things that would do anything for were venturing into an abandoned warehouse with me where there was an obvious trap set.

I stood in the wide opening after Niko had pushed open one side of the rolling doors and took in a deep breath. Yeah…fuck peri culture, that prick had duped us. He probably ruffled his feathers as he stood on a soap box declaring how no peri would harm another peri's child even in the midst of war, but when it came down to Cassie she didn't fall under the peri category. She knew this, I knew this, so why I let her walk into this was beyond me.

The warehouse was covered in a fine layer of dust, seemingly undisturbed at first, but if I looked closely I could see little circles and scrapes in the grim. Paw prints. That and the fact that the two level wide open space smelled like a kennel for the mangy and deranged kinda tipped me off that Joel had no intention to duel with his niece. He decided to let the Evati do his job for him. Win win, right? He could rest easy knowing the Harbinger was dead without a spec of her blood on his tunic.

"We've been played," I announced. Like they already didn't know. Niko had to taste the tension in the air; his katana was already unsheathed at his side. Cassie could smell them probably as easily as I could, but it needed to be said, because that was as close as I was going to get to 'I told you so', without a head slap or a scathing glare.

Joel was no angel and I would be hard pressed to trust a peri after this. Most docile of the _paien_, my ass. I'd take my bets with a wood nymph on that one.

There was a little click-click clack that echoed in a pattern against the metal rafters and aluminum roof. It was a distinct sound. The sound of puppy claws long overdue for a trim. The creature that came around a leaking barrel of oil, though, was no puppy. He was what the werewolves of nightmares came from. Bristled slate gray fur covered the majority of his body, thinning out around his chest to reveal the muscles of a champion weightlifter in a murky brown tone, speckled with dark sunspots that almost resembled freckles. It thinned at his knees and elbows too showing almost human joints, but around his wide jaw the fur sprang out like straggly sideburns, collaring his neck. His face was all wolf, even his yellow eyes. His back was hunched like his spine was just too long and when he reared up on two legs I understood its purpose. He could stand like a man…a huge, clawed, muscle-bound seven-foot-tall man. I also notice that the pelt thinned out around the only other humanoid appendage he had to his name, but he barely gave me a run for the money with that endowment. He seemed to smile a doggy dinner-time smile and hefted out a single bark that reverberated through the building.

On wolfman's cue, the catwalks and every other negative space between crate and barrel were then occupied with hunched humanoid shadows or slinking wolves, both snarling and sneezing in our general direction. There were at least three packs here, maybe four. I didn't recognize any, but had to assume the Kin had thrown down a few cronies to help out their overseas brethren.

"Semalyski," Cassie greeted. She stepped forward in front of me. Her bare feet stirred the dust even if they didn't make a sound. She preferred fighting without shoes I noticed; I didn't doubt that she could probably kill someone with her toes that way. The huge werewolf in front of us grunted in reply as if saying 'great to see you, please stay for dinner' only, to wolves, dinner equaled death.

I had Dante. That was decided on the way over; of the three of us I was the weakest link, being limited with my gates. The Harbinger and super ninja Ram-bro were better at melee, there was no disagreement there. My forte was the heavy weight of my Desert Eagle in hand, with which I could shoot explosive rounds into the werewolves' heads from a safer distance with Dante still on my hip. For the most part, my son was being a little angel. A soft growl in the back of his throat and tension up his spine, but he didn't scrabble to be put down or even make much noise to call attention to himself. Not that it seemed to matter; all eyes were on Cassie. For once I was in the clear.

Niko was at _her _side, also a first, leaving more space between himself and his little brother than he would usually allow. He knew my wishes, he knew the best thing to do was pretend I wasn't here at all, and I knew he was fighting with that decision every step he took. And I took a few back, so the closest werewolf in hiding was clear in my eye-line, instead of shifting in my peripheral vision. That bitch had her eyes on me. I turned the gun on her, eliciting an extra snarl, but she didn't lurch or charge forward.

My heels crossed over the line of the door; I could feel the small chasm the sliding metal used as a track under my sole. I needed to get as far back from the action as possible, while still remaining in shooting range. I wasn't about to leave them, but I certainly didn't like doing this with my son in my arms.

"This is pointless, Semalyski," Cassie went on. I watched Niko offer her a blade out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to keep the black wolf eyeing me up in sight more. I was surprised to see Cassie accept the offer, but she obviously couldn't have gates flying all about with my human brother right at her flank. I also knew that it was much more tolerable to fight at werewolf at least arm's length away from their stench. "You know very well that I wanted nothing to do with the Evati to begin with. Don't start another war for an ancient grudge."

The ripped werewolf pulled back his lips even farther, flashing black gums and spraying an impressive amount of thick mucus when he huffed out something that could almost be considered a laugh. Well, couldn't say she didn't try. She flipped her borrowed katzblager and spread her legs to lower her center of balance. "All right, Nik. I've got Psycho-puppy, but I need you and Cal to keep the ring clear."

Niko gave her a short nod and took several steps back, closer to me. I smirked and level my Eagle between that black wolf's beady yellow eyes. A little bloodlust was stirring my veins, something I used to blame on the Auphe, but what could I complain about? It served me well and I kinda forfeited the right to blame it on dear old dad when I opened myself up to that part of myself when I let my memories come back on that rooftop. I also had better things to be concerned about.

And that something was suddenly digging his little mini claws into my collarbone and screaming in full Auphe nature. It wasn't anything translatable, just pure unadulterated agony and fury. I cursed at my own pain, but held him against me. His screeching distracted most of the wolves. All of them whimpering and yowling at the sound, trying to scratch it out of their ears or just plain running off. That included the black one that had previously been prowling toward Dante and I. That target removed, I wrapped both arms around Dante, rubbing at his back to calm him down. I couldn't hear anything over the shrill, glass breaking screams in my ears.

"Dante," I called. "Dante, stop. Little Ace, its all right!" I ducked around the other half of the ridged double-doors that we hadn't pushed open. I couldn't hear, but I certainly saw that the fight within the warehouse had begun. Niko was going to have some trouble defending against frantic werewolves with my son's voice siren-ing in his ears; Cassie was probably used to it, but it didn't help her either. His screaming would still stop some of the werewolves from launching intelligent attacks even as I blocked it with open air and the metal siding to my back.

Dante continued his tirade, all that good boy quietness out the window. His voice was even getting hoarse with the power. I knocked my head back against the door and continued rubbing at his back. I had to resist the urge to cover his wide open mouth with my hand. His muscles twitched as if in pain under his shirt. His face was red with strain and damp against my cheek from waterworks that hadn't stopped since he started wailing. What the hell was wrong with him? He didn't react like this around Delilah and her back-up bitches. He fought with them and, yeah, Psycho-puppy was a bit more visually intimidating but still. He'd faced the Auphe!

Then the muscles under my fingers started to bulge in a very unnatural manner like something was trying to get out, or he was transforming into a new beast. When I pushed my fingertips in, his screaming cut off to a close-mouthed whine. Something ripped and instantly his shirt was damp. I pulled back my hand and saw red blossoming. "Shit, Dante, what the hell is that?"

I shoved the gun into the back of my black jeans and whipped the ka-bar out. It was awkward slicing up the back of his shirt with one hand, but I managed and what I saw wasn't that assuring. The skin around his shoulder blades was ruptured, the fissure growing by the second as if something was trying to free itself from within my son. My brain flickered through about one hundred horror movie scenarios before I saw something fuzzy among the snapping veins and shifting muscle visible beneath the widening gap. I'd see something like this before; National Geographic this time and the image of a baby egret being born. It wasn't quite downy-white as it was slate gray and dew-damp with blood, but I still knew what it was.

Robin had mentioned this. Part of me recalled that, but what he had said about it wasn't coming back to me with any semblance of clarity. My son was revealing his wings; that was all I could process. What to do about this on the other hand was a loss. I shifted him in my arms, pocketing the knife as well so I had both arms free. I slid down to a crouch so he could sit on my thigh and I could help pull back the skin. I didn't bother removing his claws from my own flesh, hoping it was as good as giving him some leather to bite on or a hand to squeeze. "It's okay, little Ace. Let 'em rip, go on."

I didn't imagine that my half-assed words of encouragement would help, but without him screaming at the top of his lungs, I could hear the battle of bunker werewolf had escalated. I needed to get him through this quickly so I could start busting a cap in Benji and Fido. Something was working though, my presence, my tearing his skin, or just nature running its course. It didn't matter, the little half-formed appendages wriggled out from his back, bloody, gooey, and looking like a partially-feathered chicken wings. I grimaced as I flicked my hand toward the concrete, trying to get rid of some of the warm mixture of insides off my fingers.

Dante raised his head to look at me. Snot hung from his nose with all the crying, but at least now it was just a pitiful whimper and a curious glance over his shoulder. He looked back at me with wide gray eyes, just as baffled as I was. I took the sleeve of his ruined shirt and wiped his nose for him; that was the fatherly thing to do right? "You picked an opportune time for that milestone, Ace."

His claws retracted from the meat of my shoulder and he patted the area with his chubby hands now covered in my own red blood. "Apology accepted," I offered. "Now can I go kill some bad guys?"

His response was another scream; this one was because a new set of claws were digging into my shoulders…through the metal door. The curve was much duller than Dante's and at least ten times thicker and therefore agonizing as they tore through the rest of my jacket and the flesh beneath it. In the next moment something –my bets were on Psycho-puppy off his leash– was attempting to pull me _through_ the door, which would have effectively seared me into many, many pieces. Dante wasn't really helping either. He climbed over me like a jungle gym, one foot almost crushing my balls and the other pressing my thigh and therefore body in the opposite direction from the werewolf claws. I grunted at tearing in my shoulder muscles and tried to plugged the Desert Eagle against the rent one of those wolf talons were making. Dante got there first, and what he did made me realize his plunging claws around my collarbone was a frickin' love tap in comparison to what he could already do when he wanted to.

His claws sunk into Pyscho-puppy's right paw and ripped back toward himself, not only cleaving each toe in half, but splicing the claw like it was a slice of white bread. Wolfman howled in a manner that sound like my son'd just hacked off his balls, but those thick talons retreated on both sides, letting me spin around, shove my Eagle through a long gash and then I turned my head and prayed that this didn't explode back into my face. Dante's face was cupped against my bloody shoulder and away from the blast; I wasn't that irresponsible a father.

The bullet passed through the door, exploding just on the other side. There was another howl of frenzied pain that I shared with a hiss of my own as the hot debris from the detonation sprayed against my cheek and neck. I rolled into the frame of the open door, tucking Dante against my chest, but was on one knee and discharging the rest of the clip into six of the werewolves within the warehouse in the next second.

I caught a glimpse of the carnage and felt my stomach roil. Not because the floor was now splattered with enough blood to be the next installment in a Jackson Pollock gallery, or the gore of entrails and sliced fur-covered meat littering the spaces between fallen wolves. Castiella and Niko could hold their own against the four horsemen of the apocalypse; I had no doubt in their skills and wasn't at all surprised to see very little blood on either of them. What had me suddenly nauseous was the smell of gasoline thick in the air. Several of the old drums has been crushed by bodies tossed aside or slashed by claw and blade and they weren't empty as I'd originally thought. One spark and this place would light up like a firework factory during a haphazard smoke break. One more spark, I guessed, because I'd been tossing up a few already with my explosive rounds.

I hoisted Dante off my shoulder and pressed him against the small alcove between the crease of the open sliding door and the brick siding of the building. He cried out a little when the rough-handling knocked his new wings against the siding. "Stay still, Dante. You're going to Rafferty's okay? You be good. We'll pick you up soon."

I didn't expect him to understand me, but some part of him inherently knew I was sending him away from me. He clasped at one of my arms, digging in with just his sticky fingers. His wide gray eyes searched mine and his face started scrunching up to cry. "I will be back for you."

"Daada," he whined and, holy shit, who would have though that little voice could do so much to my usually stagnant emotions. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, little Ace."

I smelled the pungent aroma of doggy breath, before I even heard the growl. I didn't look. I could feel one of them at my back, several of them—reinforcement ass-sniffers coming to play. They were prowling the streets toward the mouth of the warehouse, late for the party, but not for the show. I opened the gate behind Dante, holding him around his ribcage so when I shoved him through it wouldn't jostle too much. I pushed him, trying not to think of the look in his eyes as betrayal, and then something really fucked up happened.

Dante's fingers caught my sleeve, anchoring him to the chaos. I could have easily shook him off and let him fall through the swirling gray tear behind him, but there was a twinge inside me. Like when Cassie took my pinpoint of a gate and made it large enough for us to tumble out of Tumulus almost a year ago. Someone just made my gate their bitch. I saw it shift, just a few millimeters to the right. I caught Dante's little wrist and pulled him back into my arms, instinctively knowing this wasn't Cassie's doing. I saw the swipe of a pure white hand capped with oil-black razors slice through the shifting gray of the gate; just out of reach of my son's tattered shirt. If I hadn't pulled him back, they would have got him.

The wolves circled around like hyenas around a carcass that a lion just stole from them, too frightened to engage, but more than willing to take whatever sloppy seconds were given to them. Well, I wasn't about to be anyone's sloppy seconds, so fuck the lion and fuck the hyenas too. Fuck all the carnivores of the Serengeti. I snapped another magazine into the Eagle around Dante's shivering body and unloaded half of it into the gate, took it back as my own, and slammed it shut. And then I empty the rest of the exploding rounds into the new pack on the street; I couldn't use them inside the warehouse anyway.

They had been startled by the appearance of the Auphe as much as I had been, but they were slow to recover. I took out another six –two of them with one bullet even. There were still plenty of bared fangs to go around, but at this point (with the Auphe near and stirred up) I wasn't in the mood for battle anymore. "Cas, Nik! Out! Now!"

They both knew a retreat call when they heard one; now if either of them could swallow their pride and adhere to it was the question. I couldn't see my brother anymore –that didn't help my nerves– but Cassie was shoving her short sword through the burly chest of Psycho-puppy, finally taking the singed bastard to his dog house in the fiery pits of hell. I caught her eye and hoped my expression told her just how screwed we were about to be. There was blood in the back of my throat so I knew my nose was ringed with it. I couldn't tell because I had plenty of my blood and the spray of blood from Psycho-pup's now eight-toed paw dripping down the side of my face. Gate number one was an utter fucking failure and I wasn't sure if taking back my gate from the bastards was number two. Gate number three could kill me. And while I was more than willing to chance it for Dante, I wasn't willing to risk dropping him into Tumulus on my deathbed if they pulled the same trick twice.

"Go!" Cassie shouted. She swung the blade over head, ducked under the launching werewolf behind her, and gutted him from throat to tail before he even hit the ground. "I'll get your brother. Be right behind you."

I had one more reload of bullets for the Eagle and then I would have to switch to the knife or (if I could get to it) the .38 strapped to my ankle. I wasn't sure where to put Dante at this point, but he seemed very comfortable, with his little legs clutching my sides and his arms wrapped around my neck. It left both arms free for me even if I kinda felt like I had a twenty-pound monkey hanging on me. I didn't want him on my back though; wolves liked to charge from behind, as one did the moment I locked the last magazine in place. I swung around and plugged a round into the furball's mouth, watching with a vicious smirk as it sailed through the roof and splattered brain goo all over the broken sidewalk. I hopped over the body and started to make a break for it. Running down the center of the road with werewolves tailing me might not have been the best idea, but I was banking on them being as single-minded as they usually were and going after Cassie. No such luck.

I pistol whipped one of them before they tackled me, but the second and the third took my legs out from under me, one from a charge at my knees and the other from clamping down on my ankle and tearing it away from my body. When I heard the rip –flat on my back with my air currently gone from my lungs– I thought for sure that I'd just lost a foot. It wasn't long for it; I figured I would lose a limb at some point. But the article the werewolf started shaking about like a struggling rat wasn't my bloody stub of a foot, but my back up piece. And when it chopped down gleefully on its new toy, half the wolf's head when up like a blender left uncapped. Tooth to trigger; someone should have taught that pup gun safety.

I would have laughed if I had any air to spare. Dante laughed. He laughed and clapped his hands together like that was the most entertaining thing in the world. That was when I realized he was no longer in my arms. I forced my body up and reached for him before he toddled off. I had to change direction though, swinging the barrel of the gun out to tag and bag another werewolf. This one was Kin, I recognized him from the Ninth Circle. Guess I just killed another of Ish's patrons, hope that didn't cost me tips.

There was a flash of fur to my left and heavy paws slammed against my chest, taking me back down on the asphalt. I grunted; what little oxygen I'd regained was shoved right out again. Fetid heat tossed some loose pieces of hair out of my face and a little spittle collected against my cheek when I turned my head to reach for my son. It left my neck exposed to the heavy bastard on top of me, but that was planned. The wolf took the opening, slobbering all over my nape. His teeth just grazed my pulse before I wedged the Eagle against his peppered fur collar and fired through his rumbling gullet. Blood took the place of the drool, but it was just as awful a stench. Unfortunately, the wound wasn't fatal. I kicked at his hindquarters, putting enough force behind it to snap a few bones. That was the great thing about werewolves; when they went wolf their skinny wolf legs were fragile little twigs. It didn't always work and it would never do much more than slow them down a bit, but this time it stopped those teeth from tearing into my throat.

The wolf's claws scrabbled against my thighs and the road to find purchase, but all I cared about was getting my fingers wrapped around the edge of Dante's torn shirt. I launched the wounded werewolf off of me with a final snap kick, which flipped him onto his back against the edge of the sidewalk. I rolled, still holding onto Dante's shirt, onto my knees. "Dante, come here!"

The littlest Auphe that could, my son was crouched to half his already tiny size claws out, baby teeth bared, and downy wings fluttering like a rattlesnake's warning. If it was the first thing you'd seen of the _paien_, you'd probably piss yourself and not laughing. It was pretty damned creepy seeing a two-year-old ready to tear your intestines out. He was bouncing around me though, looping in a half circle and swiping at the wolves trotting just out of reach. At first I though they were just playing with him, but after I got onto me knees and started blasting into the ranks, I noticed they were much more concerned with Dante than they were with the bullets knocking several of them to their graves. They were scared of him. Perfect. I left him scuttling about at my feet as I stood for better aim.

That was probably the worse decision of my life.


	21. Chapter 21 Cal

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Cal**

Now I've made some pretty dumb decisions in my time. The usual ones like sticking a knife in the toaster and microwaving tinfoil. That one really sucked, because I broke it and we had to go without for almost a year before Niko and scrounge up enough money to get a new one. And there were some pretty huge mistakes too. Allowing Cherish to get so close and almost get all of us killed. Sleeping with Delilah, while amazing fun that was a huge mistake. Thinking I could ever be human…

But then there was this.

I left my son unattended with a pack of pissed off werewolves circling like sharks in a chum pond. I knew how underhanded and vicious these dicks could be and I still thought they would avoid him in fear. The Kin avoided nothing, not even me. They thought they were the top of the food chain and they would have lunged at a full bred Auphe if it were challenging their territory. They wouldn't survive that, but the Kin defended their inflated pride to the bitter end. And I'd be damned if I wasn't their bitter end in this scenario, especially when one of them broke the circle of bodies that was piling up around us and dove right for Dante.

I slammed my foot into its ribs as it came at us, but not before the white wolf clamped its jaw around the back of my son's neck. "Fuck!" I leveled the Desert Eagle, but couldn't get a clear shot without clipping Dante. First thought was that Delilah just signed her death warrant, but it wasn't my former sex-friend/current pain-in-the-ass psycho-ex. For one, this white furball was male and I didn't recognize him, but he was dragging Dante back on his kicking feet, yellow eyes trained on me as if he knew he was using my son as a shield, which meant this prick was dead. And my boy…man, burst a pair of wings through his back and he screamed bloody murder, but a werewolf sinking fangs into his non-existent scruff and he was just plan pissed. He flailed and clawed like a cat being drug to bath time, drawing blood and renting the asphalt like it was melted butter. Of course that made it impossible for me to sharp shoot the wolf in the head. I went for the tail end instead. I even got off a couple rounds into the snowy hide right in his flank. One of them blasted off the majority of a tail already gargled and scared from previous battles. If Cassie's playful nicknames for these Evati douchebags held any truth, I was thinking this one was Tail-rot…of course, now it would be Tail-gone. I was tackled by another white one, before I could take out Tail-rot's knees. Apparently they came in pairs.

There was a distinctive sharp bark in my ear that sounded almost like the wolf on my back was trying to speak to me. I swung around and slammed the butt of the Eagle against the second wolf's temple. It didn't make the usual thump of metal to skull sound, more like metal to ground meat. The new White Fang above me seemed to grin. The side of her head that I slammed was bleeding sluggishly from a head wound that had obviously been healing from a previous shot to the head. It was angry and pink, the meat that was usually hidden under flesh and fur was bubbled and uneven; scar tissue. I knew without any other hint that _this_ was Delilah. "Get the hell off of me."

She snorted and shifted to her human guise right on top of me. Her body becoming the sleek lines and curves of the very the attractive woman I once thought she was in the blink of an eye. Now all I saw was another homicidal bitch out for blood. I didn't have time for this. Thankfully, Cassie had the same thought in mind. My lover tackled Delilah and they went down in a blur of amber and pale cream limbs, blood quickly joined in with the fangs and feathers, but I didn't wait for the conclusion. As much as I wanted to see Cassie rip Delilah to shreds I had more important things to do.

"Dante!" I shouted, more to Cassie to tell her where our sights should be set than to call to him. I launched onto my feet and bolted for the open doorway. I chucked the Eagle aside and ripped the Ka-bar out of the hidden pocket in my jacket. I was out of bullets, but I hadn't wanted to fire into a potential gasoline firebomb anyway. Tail-rot was still dragging my son along back into the warehouse, which was smoking now. Shit. A fire started. I didn't know how, but I damned well didn't care. "Dante!"

I got there just as the first barrel exploded. I was airborne, knocked _inside_ the building and into a pile of crates. Splintered wood dug into every inch of my skin, but I barely felt it; adrenaline full throttle through my veins. I shoved it all out of the way, patting down my lit shoulder and kicking smoldering planks out of my path. The warehouse was filled with smoke. I could barely see a thing except for the fire racing across the floor to catch every piece of wood and skating across the trails of gasoline like a rocket on speed. I tore a piece of my shirt off and held it over my mouth as I crouched and groped through the murky clouds. I was still part human; no matter how Auphe I felt sometimes, the smoke suffocated my lungs just like any other human. I hoped Nik had already gotten his ass out of here.

A fuzzy gray object collided with me as I made it out into the main aisle. I managed to stay on my feet, my center of gravity lowered as I tried to stay below the billowing smoke that attempted to escape through the small windows broken above. I slashed the black matte knife in the direction of the obvious werewolf's trajectory path and caught my target. There was a yelp mixed with a snarl and I smelled more that saw the blood blossom on the pelt. I slammed my foot into the undefined form, catching it solid enough to send it into a pile of burning something as I had planned. There was another cry of pain and the sounds of a dog scrabbling to get away from something that frightened it, namely their tail being on fire.

I coughed and hacked and crashed my way further into the warehouse, slipping on blood as well as the evaporating foam left behind by someone's attempt to stop this inferno before it got out of hand; my brother and a fire extinguisher probably. "Dante!"

"DaaaaAhhhdaaa!" The scream, balefully drawn out, hitched into something more Auphe in the middle. It let me pinpoint his location in the smoky fog and it caused his captor to let off a little whine of pain as well. I made a sharp turn toward the sound and almost into a piece of rebar sticking out of the curved half of a mangled support beam. Someone had tossed something into it mighty hard; for that one my best were on my pissed off girlfriend and a werewolf shot-put. I saw something shift in the smoke to my right and my son, ever the smart little cookie, started screaming again. Either he saw me and was calling for me, or he realized the sound loosened the hold on his nape.

The wail reverberated against walls; even among the creaking and crashing of the consuming fire, it could be heard clear as a jagged glass Q-tip being shoved in your ear. I shot off after them, expecting the werewolf to drop his treasure to get away from the agonizing maelstrom of sound my son was making. Instead I heard a sound that I knew would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. An almost inaudible snap and my son's voice cut silent. I'd caught up to them, I could see in the hazy glow of a nearby fire the white male shaking my son's limp body back and forth like the other had my .38. I went numb, frozen for just a moment, but that was enough to emboss that image into my brain with white-hot fury and shame.

Tail-rot dropped my son to the concrete. His tiny limbs flopped down like a broken doll's and his head dropped facing me so I could see the blood streaked over his round face, running up against gravity. Ash stuck to his dark lashes, covered his little wings. His gray eyes stared blankly at me, mouth slack. He wasn't moving. He wasn't fucking moving.

I had no idea what the white ball of fluff standing over him saw when my eyes panned up to him, but the last little tuff of fur on his bloody half stump of a tail tickled his balls it was curled so far between his legs. His yellow eyes peered at me as if pleading; like a little puppy that just chewed on daddy's signed baseball. He didn't mean to do it. Of course not, Dante was bait. Always bait. The bastard's jaw just convulsed in the throes of Dante's scream and snapped…

But this wasn't a fucking baseball or a favorite pair of shoes. This was my son. This bastard just killed my son. I built the gate without any conscious thought of what it would do to me. Second gate, third gate, it didn't matter. This murderer was taking a vacation. I opened the gate to Tumulus without thinking either. My son was dead. The thing they wanted most was gone. If they wanted to come out and terrorize a few more of the hydrant-pissers I was all for it.

Tail-rot tried to duck away; the look in his eyes changed from pitiful supplication to vicious terror. He bared his teeth and launched at me –now that his pity-party clearly wasn't working. It was all big bad wolf and the huntsman with him flying at me paws first and claws spread wide for maximum carnage. I dodged with more calm than I'd had in weeks. It was like everything had been set into place inside my head or everything had just dropped out of my head, either was plausible. I dodged the piss-scared wolf and shoved the serrated ka-bar into his sternum on his way down. His full two-twenty dead weight of muscle, bone, and hairballs hit my shoulder and brought me to my knees, but I just wrenched the blade up, cracking a rib and feeling the flow of warm blood cascade over my hands.

I didn't feel anything else. Not the shift of displaced joints where he dislocated my shoulder, not the cut of splinters and glass digging into my knees, not the heat of the fire surrounding or even the pull of the gate growing. I hoisted Tail-rot onto my mangled shoulder and tossed him bodily into the vortex. He didn't make it all the way; his backside waving about and his hind-claws sliding and scraping around outside the edge of the shifting gray. Something was pulling him in or maybe I opened the gate off a cliff, who knew. Who cared?

"Cal!" At that shout my hearing came back in a wave. It was no longer the wish-wash rush of blood to my ears. Now I could hear the whine and clank of the building deteriorating above. The beams and supports were sagging; metal and wood crashed down around our ears to feed and fan the fires. I could see a small figure through the smoke and for a moment thought I might be hallucinated from smoke inhalation. But her voice carried over the cacophony of noise again, a damned sweet sound that sent ice down my spine. "Cal, Nik's out. Where's Dante?"

She wanted me to tell her he was safe, that he was with Rafferty and curled up in a puppy-pile with Hunter and Chase. But that would be a bald faced lie; that would be what a good father had done. A good father would have never brought their son to a werewolf cage match. A good father would have gated…no, a good father couldn't gate. A good father wasn't a fucking monster.

I glanced back at Tail-rot. His bloody stump of a tail was whipping around as he attempted to pull himself back in a safer reality. Well, I couldn't have that. I started to circle closer, but saw the Auphe had joined in on the game. Black talons had emerged from the depths of the gate, small ones, scouring over his hide like a dozen little paring knives. Not sure I wanted to know what they were doing on the other end, but I had a few ideas. They were playing with him; apparently I tossed him into a nest of baby Auphe.

How fitting. Let them have their fun.

I shoved my foot to his wriggling ass and chucked him in, before I shut the gate. A toy was no fun if it was broken in half.

A beam screeched and swung down to crash barely a foot away from me. It knocked me out of my psychotic homicidal moment more than even Cassie's voice did, mainly because that was much too close to my son. I ducked under the beam, feeling the heat of it against my scalp as I passed and dropped next to Dante's body. I could see Cassie picking through the debris, still calling my name. That was until she saw me knelt down beside our son. I touched a hand to his still chest, searching for any sign that he was still with us. There was nothing, no movement at all. I heard Cassie coughing, Dante's name coming out several times as her wings reappeared and she sailed over the last obstacles. She half landed, half collapsed into me and I caught her as best I could, patting out a flame that took out a few feathers.

Her weight to my good shoulder, the slightest hint of her glorious scent among the stenches of gasoline, wood smoke and charred dog, the sensation of her breath on my neck and the dampness of her sweat and tears on my cheek…it grounded me. She grounded me. Just like Nik always had. And I would be a damned lousy brother if I let everything he taught me go to waste. The situation was fight or flight and without a helicopter to fly over and douse this fire pit there was no use fighting. So flight it was.

I pulled Cassie from my shoulder and shook her once. She looked even more rough-and-tumble than I probably did and flinched at my light jolt to her body. "We have to get out of here," I shouted over the din of another beam coming down. It busted a window in the back as it see-sawed over one of its fallen brethren. The fire kicked halfway up to the second story rafters at the new wave of oxygen to feed from. I hadn't noticed that this building went all the way deep to the street behind it. I couldn't see how far back with all the smoke, but I could see it was filled with enough oil drums to send this place sky high.

I scrambled to my feet, dragging Castiella up with me. "Dante," she chirped. Her soot-and-blood covered hand skated over his tiny arm as I pulled her away. Well, of course, I wasn't leaving him here, if that was what she was asking. Once I got her to her feet, I scooped up my son's little body –much heavier now that he didn't have the consciousness to hold on to me; it gnawed at me, trying to make me think about it, but I couldn't. I had to get Cassie out of here; I had to get myself out of here. I couldn't think about how his head rocked against my shoulder when I cradled it there as if he was just tuckered out and asleep. I couldn't let the sensation of my fingers sticking to the shorn skin of his neck from the dying blood (his and mine) distract me. There was plenty of time for me to beat myself senseless over the murder of my son.

Castiella was at my side, standing wearily on legs so torn up I could see bone just below her right kneecap. She gave me a determined look though, her eyebrows darkened even more by ash and a furrowed to a straight line across with blood smear between them. Her eyes matched, still lava red from the battle and now the rage of losing Dante. She spoke to me in Auphe, which chilled me slightly: _We're getting out of here and we're going to murder every last Evati we can find._ I was glad to hear the 'we' in there, because my first thought was she was about to murder _me_ for being the fault of Dante's…

Not that I wouldn't deserve it. Part of me wished she would. My son was dead. It was my fault, but I didn't kill him. A fucking wolf with mange killed my son.

God damn it they killed my son!

I'd been trying to fight it, but it hit me all the same. Like a brick wall slamming into my back, jolting my entire body with dread, guilt, and fervent rage. And then I realized that wasn't emotion sending my mind reeling so I didn't know what was up or down; it was a literal explosion and I was eating the solid metal surface of a bent and crumbling concrete support. Somehow my legs were still under me, holding me against the pillar like a _really_ bad pole dancer. I groaned and spit out a tooth, then turned to search for Dante; all I had was his torn shirt clenched in my fist.

We had to get out of here. That explosion was just another small barrel inside the first room; they were spread out here, leaving enough room between them that it didn't go off like C4 on an oil rig. The back room would be another story. Once that fire ignited just one of those barrels back there and our little half Auphe family would be nothing but cinders. I doubt even Cassie could come back from that.

"Cas—" I started to pull away from the beam I was half clutching half plastered to. My shoulder scraped against the curved dent it made in the concrete, sending little sparks of pain down my arm, but it was the fire-bolt of agony blazing through my chest and into the pit of my stomach that jolted me to stop, my legs twitching uncontrollably as an aftershock. Something scratched at my ribs from the inside. A sticky warmth drenched my inner thigh down to the edge of my boot; I didn't think I pissed myself, which meant that was blood and a lot of it. I coughed, sending another strike of lightening through my body, and looked down at my new dilemma.

That damned, fucking, cock-barrel, son-of-a-coil rebar I'd avoided earlier was now implanted firmly through my abdomen, angled down. I closed my eyes – they were already stinging from all the smoke so I just pretended that was why tears were streaming down my face. The rebar had sliced into me pretty good on entry. The downward angle couldn't save me when blown directly into it. Maybe if it had been alloy or maybe even just a thinner diameter in this heat it might have bent and maybe it did, but not enough. I didn't have an exit wound, but I could feel it under my skin at my back…if it already punctured my kidney I was a goner. I was human inside, not Auphe. I could live with a gun shot or stab wound as long as it didn't get something vital and when a puncture wound was at least six inches long and probably just as deep…

"Cal!" It was a cry of panic and I saw Cassie skid to a halt beside me after she hurdled a blazing crated and the beam that crushed it. It was a sloppy jump. She kicked the crated, sending embers sparking all around. She stumbled from the new burns on her legs; she was loosing strength and probably had already lost just as much blood as I was right now during the battle. I attempted to tell her to get the hell out of here, but it came out as a gurgled cough before blood slipped passed my lips and prevented the words from forming. Internal bleeding. Fuck, I was toast.

I glanced down at the inch of rebar visible between the concrete support and my sternum so she didn't do something stupid like try to drag me away, or hug me, or…break out her Auphe claws to slice through the rebar and catch me before I toppled to the ground. Oh, wait, that actually worked. She laid me down and brushed my shirt aside to inspect the wound. Her expression said it all. Her claws slipped back into the flesh of her fingers and tears made clear tracks down her soot-blackened face. "Cali…"

I was dead. I knew this and now she knew this. A week ago I had thought I'd lost her. Less than a week ago I wasn't a father. Less than a week ago I was alone. And now I was losing everything all over again. Good lord, what was Niko going to do without me? Get a life maybe. Settle down with Promise and have a gaggle of vamp-babies? I hoped so.

I touched a trembling hand to Cassie's cheek, brushing away a tear only to add a streak of blood to her face. I wanted to tell her to get out. I wanted to tell her I loved her and that she had to make sure my big brother didn't do something stupid. I hoped it was in my eyes. I hoped she read it there like she did every other unspoken request. Her jaw clenched under my palm. Her features hardened and her eyes, swirling gold and fire red flickered up to something unseen beyond. No…shit, no.

I knew that look. That was the same look I saw on Niko's face when he went on his homicidal rampage after Cherish mind-melded him into thinking I was in pieces on our living room rug. It wasn't Niko I had to worry would do something stupid, or rather Cassie was about to get a head start. I tried to grip her neck, tried to squeeze it to tell her no, but suddenly my nerves weren't sending messages to my brain anymore. My hand fell to my side like I'd already passed out and I glared at it for giving up. Cassie rose from my side. Her wings lifted from her back like an enraged Valkyrie; ready to take every last werewolf in the world to Hell. And I could do nothing to stop her.

There was a voice calling out in the distance. Male and familiar, but I couldn't place it. Unconsciousness was trying to take me out and I was fighting it like it was a tangible enemy, clawing and scraping to keep afloat and out of the void. My eyes closed of their own accord. I felt Cassie's fingers drift over the little bit of stubble along my jaw. Her lips dusted over my own. "I'm sorry, Cali."

I didn't know what she was apologizing about. This was my fault. I got our son kill and then died. _She_ laid down her life _for_ our son and in the end neither of them had died. I was the one that fucked all of this up. Everything she sacrificed I just let it slip through my fingers. I wanted to tell her that, but the fire was creeping farther into the back room and it felt like the blood was clotting in my throat. I coughed to clear it. I tried to grab for her when I felt her stand. The moment I shifted, though, something sparked up my spine, blanking my head out. Blanking everything out.

When I managed to peel my eyes open again, she was gone and my eyes no longer burned like they were on fire. I couldn't feel anything actually, but my vision was jostled as if I was being moved. I forced my head to crane back and saw my brother. Always there. Always by my side. He was screaming something over his shoulder and a moment later Robin emerged from the heavy smoke. Aw, look at that he was ruining another set of clothes for me.

They hoisted me up off the ground, Robin at my ankles and Niko hauling me up under my arms. It didn't matter how hard I fought against the darkness at that point. The moment they lifted me up, the rebar punctured through my back. I would have screamed, but there was still blood in my throat and now breathing was becoming an issue. I lurched to the side, almost flipping out of Niko's grip to vomit/hack-up whatever was blocking the path. The motion drove me over the edge and the black engulfed me. The last thing any of my senses picked up was the explosion.

I had to admit, that was a pretty good trap.


	22. Chapter 22 Catcher

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Catcher**

It took me only an hour and a half hour before I was back in the sedan, driving across the bridge into Manhattan. And an hour of that was not wait time I had approved.

I couldn't sit still at home next to the reserve. It didn't matter how warm the house felt now with our pack settling in. It didn't matter, when all I could think about was Cassie and the Leandros boys and how much danger they were in right now. They could be callous and flippant and flash their bravado as much as they wanted, but I knew the Evati. I'd heard some of the gruesome things they'd done and I _knew _how much they despised the Harbinger.

If Ishiah, Promise and Robin were off looking for leads regarding the Evati, I knew I could drum something up as well. Hell, Delilah frickin' knew what I had been. She would be salivating if I wanted to meet with her and I didn't mean in the sexual way. Though I could've possibly used something like that to get some information out of her should I be able to get her alone; that was if she didn't kill me first.

Even if I didn't go out to hit the pavement, I would feel better if they had another body in that house with them. I wasn't much of a fighter, but I could hold my own. And if anything should happen, I was completely willing to have Dante strapped onto my back and start running when the shit hit the fan. I might not be a fighter, but I was a damned fast wolf.

It came down to idle hands. I refused to just wait around when my friends were in danger and it wasn't just because I had a thing for Cassie. Family was family. Now that we had a pack I understood that even more than before. I'd always had Rafferty and we'd had our families; loving, loyal, and limitless. If something were to happen to Cassie or Cal then that opportunity would be torn away from Dante. He needed them both. I knew he needed them both, and Niko and Promise…even Robin and me and Raff. That boy needed as much of a fighting chance as he could get to overcome his own nature as well as defeat his evil step grandparents.

And Cassie and Cal…those two had such little confidence in their maternal and paternal instincts that if anything happened to Dante…lord, I couldn't even fathom the damage that would cause. So I decided to leave my pack for the moment. I didn't want to be the clean up crew; I wanted to be a bodyguard. So a marched into the living room where Rafferty was lounging on the couch with a net-book in his lap and told him just that.

My cousin laughed at me. "More like canon fodder," he snorted, then when he saw I was serious his humor was gone and so was my consciousness. The bastard had knocked me out. It couldn't have been for more than an hour or so, but it still pissed me off –pissed me off whenever he used his talent on me.

I woke up with a mild headache –a side effect from fighting his internal suggestion –and a fire burning in my gullet, which was just my rage not knowing where to go. "Raff, what the—" I cut myself off when I noticed he wasn't the only one in the kitchen. Unlike Cassie and Cal I didn't want my younger pack mates learning curses from me. Hunter and Chase would learn them soon enough, especially living in New York, but I didn't want to be their lesson.

I dropped my tone to a low growl, something humans couldn't do adequately enough to inspire anything but amusement. They also often got the meaning wrong, which was probably because they didn't understand the way wolves communicated. Rafferty did; years with me stuck as a wolf and a good year or so running with a real pack in Yellowstone and he knew all too well what I was saying. _I'm pissed off, cousin, and I dare you to try and stop me again._

"That was wrong on so many levels, cuz," I snapped, stalking into the kitchen to give him a piece of my mind. The twins were already scrabbling over themselves to get away from me, apparently my growl was pretty intimidating…for puppies. Rafferty, on the other hand, didn't regard me with much more than a wave of his hand, which just pissed me off even more.

Mia was in the room with my cousin and her kids and actually stepped between us with her hand raised in a placating manner. That gave me pause since in all the time we'd known her she never got between me and my cousin. That didn't stop me from giving her a glare though, until Rafferty spoke. Not to me, but into a phone he held to his ear. Whoops, well, he should have known better than to take a call when I was going to wake up ready to lash out.

"Well, I'm telling you, I think it is a horrible idea," Rafferty said to whoever was on the other line with his usual snark. Obviously, the receiver hadn't asked for his opinion, but he was certainly full of them and I listened closely because his next response would tell me who it was. He chuckled at whatever was said and replied, "Fair enough, but it's still stupid."

So it was Niko. Ishiah and Promise would never call Rafferty unless it was an emergency and, while my cousin did seem tense, he wasn't ready to pack up and rush off to the rescue. If it were Robin there would be a whole lot more eye-rolling and if it were Caliban his response would have been much tighter and rougher since the little Aupheling didn't know when to stop or how to hold his tongue. So it was Niko and he had probably spoken in agreement with Rafferty, hence the chuckle. Sure, it was probably a bad idea, but try talking two half-Auphes out of a decision already made.

I waited a little longer as Niko explained something to Raff. Coming a bit closer I could hear the human's low tones and carefully chosen phrases, but all I could make out was "be there if we need you" and "I hope it doesn't come to that". Ten to one I probably hoped it didn't come to that either, but I wanted to know what 'that' was. Rafferty wrapped up the conversation around the same time that my fury dwindled to an aggravated sigh.

"We'll be here. We'll protect him. Just tell the stubborn idiots not to gate him into my couch; I like that couch." I frowned as my cousin hung up, trying my best not to over analyze that statement. Why would they gate someone here? Was it Dante? Were they going somewhere dangerous enough that they would have to gate Dante here? That didn't sit well; mommy and daddy would barely let him out of their sight last I saw and now they were tossing him our way?

Rafferty gave me a sidelong look and placed the cell phone pointedly on the counter. "_Now_ you may go to them. They'll probably need your help. I would go as well, but it seems we are the back up safe house for orphaned half-auphes."

"Don't say that," I scolded. Seriously, 'perish the thought' actually ran through my head for a moment. "What's going on?"

"One of those peris showed up at Promise's pad. Threw down a personal ultimatum and Castiella decided to take him up on it."

My brow furrowed. "A duel?" I'd heard enough about them from the Ina Clan in Guyana. It was their means to keep some semblance of peace even in warring times. Made me wonder if they every tried that with the Auphe; what a slaughter that would have been. Regardless, Rafferty was right. That was a damned stupid idea. Even if it was just one peri against her with a ring of witnesses, who was to say those witnesses didn't pick up the slack? And for that matter, they might have taken Dante's young age into account, but I knew most of the peris didn't consider Cassie to even be peri herself, why would they imply that she had right to a duel? Or were they really that prideful and righteous…yeah, right.

"It's a trap," I said. And Raff nodded.

"They know."

That concept hit my brain like seeing a pink elephant walk through a full bar of men with Stetsons. "Then why the hell…" I answered the question myself a second later. It was Cassie and Cal; they didn't stand down from a fight either of them, plus this was an opportunity to get the Cheris clan out of Cassie's hair completely. Win the duel and _all_ the clans were supposed to leave her alone, but that probably was moot. Unless this duel was only for her killing the Cheris clan leaders… "I'm going."

"As I said you should." And I went.

I went alone. If the fail-safe was sending Dante to Stanton Island with Rafferty then we needed just as much protection there. Rafferty wasn't given an address, so I had to drop the car off at one of the lots that over-charged (especially in Promise's neighborhood), and sprint to the vampire's building. From there all I had to pick up their scent, which wasn't hard. Their combined smell was like nothing else in the city and it wouldn't surprise me if they still ran into trouble even if the Duel went smoothly. The Evati would pick up this scent in an instant. Peri, Auphe, and human, shit they didn't even take the puck with them.

Cal's was the easiest scent to pick up, I knew it well enough and it was actually more pungent to me than even Cassie's –though not in a favorable way. I jogged down the streets in pursuit, nose in the air like a hound even in my human form. People looked at me funny, some _paien_ even gave me the stink-eye, but no one stopped me and I didn't stop. Until I got to the subway stop.

I lost the scent. Cursing colorfully, I paced back and forth outside of the stairs leading to the underground train. There were too many smells here; there was no way I'd be able to track them down in the transit catacombs either. So many human, _paien_, and various other animals of the feral and domestic variety were leaving their carbon footprint inside those cramped tin trams.

I tried to call Cal, then Niko, but both phones were 'currently out of service'. That didn't bode well, unless they changed over to one of their burn phones without telling us. Somehow I doubted it was that simple. Peris were an honorable race to their own, but when it came to the other races they weren't as loyal. They had a protective instinct toward the humans, but that was about it. All other races were visceral and unworthy. They hid those inclinations well under civility and polite snubbing, but after a few drinks the slandering abounded. I was lucky that I entered a clan that was willing to change their minds once they got to know me, but not all were like that.

Cassie was an 'other' race and worse yet that 'other' was Auphe. Cal was no different to them. Son or no son, I was certain at least one of them, maybe that Joel-guy, would cut them down regardless to any claim Castiella had on the Cheris clan name. A duel would be the peri thing to do. A duel between the peri and Cassie and no one else. That's what they told her, that's what they proposed, but I knew by the hair standing on the back of my neck that they were coaxing her into a kill zone. Why did they have to be so impatient? Why couldn't they wait for Robin and Promise to come and help them? Why couldn't they at least have waited for me to come pick up Dante to get him out of harms way?

A fire truck barreled through the little traffic down on this end of the island, blaring its horn and flashing all its lights. Buildings still burned even when my friends were in trouble. Crimes were still committed and the world still turned, but when a police car and another full sized fire truck followed soon after I took notice. So did many other rubber-neckers trying to see where the fire was, literally. Per usual the fire wasn't visible above the building-blocked skyline, but the smoke was and that billowed like black ink into the midnight blue sky.

It was more than a few brownstones up in smoke. The fact that I could see the edges of flames between high rises and though the red highlighted smoke meant that one very large, very flammable building was on fire. The direction was the industrial side of lower Manhattan. I could here the onlookers commenting that it had to be a warehouse, maybe abandoned…hopefully abandoned. What I knew was that a warehouse building was a perfect locale for a duel, or a fake duel and a trap.

I grabbed the nearest body emerging from the subway depths, scarring the shit out of the poor guy. "Does this line take you to the eastside piers?"

He stuttered over his words, then regained his New York flare, yanked away from me and responded with, "Yeah, asshole. End of the line. Go there."

Don't mind if I do, but I didn't take the subway. If this fire was as aggressive as it seemed hey would have that stop closed off. So I ran. It was only a few miles away, judging by the rise of the smoke. I booked it as fast as my human legs could carry me. Which wasn't fast enough. I ground lurched softly under my feet a quarter mile in, like a car just hit a lamp post behind me. There was no accident in the vicinity though. I only knew because the flames leaped up in the distance, indicating an explosion or a massive back draft. My bets were on explosion because it happened again a few more blocks closer. Either someone was set fire to a firework warehouse or the duel was set up in a ring of C4. Was I running in the right direction? Or was this a freak accident and my friends were in Queens brushing their hands off after a job well done?

Another fire truck was screaming to get through the next intersection, but a fender-bender and a fishtailed eighteen wheeler had blocked its path with no means to back up, since New Yorkers liked to chase after the fire and ambulance trucks to get through the lights and several of them were clustered up at the tail end of the emergency vehicle. That was three trucks and I didn't think any of them had actually reached the fire yet.

I ducked across the street were traffic had jammed up, sliding across a taxi's nose and slipping into an alley way to get to 42nd street. Two miles down. East Village was a parking lot, Soho no better, but it made crossing the street a whole lot easier. A third explosion, but this one sounded softer and I caught the musical sound of glass breaking; _that_ was a back draft. The smoke was starting to drift on the wind and hang lower in the sky line.

Crossing over St. James, I caught a glimpse of a black van weaving recklessly south, following my path. Could have been a van like any other van, but I knew in my gut that was the Vigil. And I trusted my gut. If the Vigil was pursuing this I knew I was headed in the right direction, but I wasn't going fast enough. I needed a better plan. Cal was susceptible to smoke inhalation, so was Niko, and I doubted Cassie and Dante would fair well in that inferno either. Maybe the kid was safe with Rafferty? That would be good…unless he really did become an orphan tonight.

No, I couldn't think about that. Fast, I needed to go faster, but without wheels or wings. Hah, that was it! I didn't have wings, but I certainly didn't have to confine myself to pedestrian pavement. In the next alley, I kept up my momentum and kicked off the brick siding to dart to the other side, repeating until I was high enough to grab onto the lifted fire escape. I clamored up the metal staircase and blazed across the roof. I was close enough now that most of these buildings were large and flat. Some warehouse large even. I sprinted toward the edge, but stopped quite suddenly. The fire was visible now. It brought swelling fear into my heart. That was a devastatingly huge fire. It had already taken out a square block, eating away at the back of the origin building. The fire trucks were within a few blocks, but in an instant one was turned over and I nearly fell off my building. I dropped to my knees from the shock that rocked the ground. I could see barrels sailing through the air from the center of the burning warehouse, debris of wood and beam and concrete everywhere. I could smell the arid oil on their air, thickening it in my lungs. Those assholes. They brought them to this place, knowing damned well Cal used explosive rounds, but why did they commit to such a suicide duel?

Once the tremors resided and the first fire truck finally arrived on scene, I leapt onto the next building. I was cautious now. If there were oil drums in there another explosion might occur any second. So I circled around. Following the black Vigil van's progression out of the corner of my eyes. I could see the block around the building was littered with large, unmoving objects. I figured they were unfortunate peris, until I got closer and saw my own breed lying on pavement graves. I crouched on the two story squat building _not _on fire three down from the inferno.

Werewolves. There were dozens of them and fire fighters were even braving the building to drag more out, though they weren't much more than charred remains at this point. It was the Evati. Had to be. So did the peris betray Cassie to the Evati to clean up a mess they couldn't moralistically do themselves, or did the Evati trick Cassie into thinking it was the peri that wanted to challenge her? And dear lord, did _anyone_ make it out of that alive?

I squinted down at the emergency crews from my perch, watching the Vigil with diligence instead of the nausea-inducing carnage being complied on the sidewalk. I could identify most of them; werewolf, werewolf, werewolf. I could see nothing with wings and unless one of my friends was now burned beyond recognition—

I dry heaved to the side and closed my eyes for a moment; the smoke and cinders weren't helping, but it was that thought that almost made me vomit. They weren't dad. There was no way. Cassie could gate, Cal could gate, Niko could duck and roll faster than a ninja in fast forward. They were fine. They were, but I didn't see hide or hair of them in the chaos. They were gone then, left the scene of the crime. Maybe they started the fire on purpose?

I forced my eyes back open even as the smoky air caused them to tear. Jets of water were dousing the flames from both sides of the block. The truck that turned over from the final, ground-shaking bomb had been abandoned at the moment. Lights off and looking like something in a post-apocalyptic film set. The Vigil was busy lining up the bodies for identification or maybe they would pile them in the back of a truck as experimental cadavers. I didn't care honestly. There seemed to be no survivors –that I cared about – but more than likely the survivors fled before help and shackles arrived.

I turned my head to cough up some ash from my lungs. The debris was starting to fall pretty steadily by now. Niko's cell still didn't connect when I tried again. There was no guarantee that they had even been here. I couldn't smell anything besides the smoke, burning gas, and cooked dog. That didn't stop me from trying a third time on the phone. Still out of service. What the hell did I do now? Go back to the house empty-handed without a clue?

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a glimmer on the horizon. I wasn't high enough up to identify it around the skyscrapers, whether it be another flashing emergency vehicle on the way or a glitch in a strobe light ricocheting off the windows in some club, but I could identify the object that shot straight up into the sky in the same area. It drove up like a rocket, then spread an expanse of wings to catch a current before making a sharp turn north.

Cassie.

I needed a car. Roof hopping would only get me so far verses her furious flying. A cop car however…

I bounded down from my perch between this building and the one beside, hiding in the shadows. Party foul if the Vigil found me out after all. There were enough hustling bodies that I could slink between the gathering news reporters and Chanel News vans. I could have easily swiped one of them, but the idling Charger gleaming twenty feet from me was calling my name. Not that I had a yen for stealing cars, the adrenaline rush maybe, but not necessarily the illegalities of it. No, I wanted it because it was my ticket through every god-damned light in NYC.

"Hey!" I was spotted when I opened the driver's side door. The news reels quickly veered the lenses onto me, but it was too late to stop the villain. I heard a few threats of opening fire, but with unknown combustible material nearby and the reporter civilians right inside their line of fire, the threats were shallow. When I started burning rubber on my way through the parting wave of humans though, the chase was on. I had a feeling it was half-hearted. One police car and a black van, obviously Vigil driven were tailing me as I barreled up the streets.

The cop made sense – I'd just stole state property – but the only reason the super secret _paien_ experimenters would give chase was if they pegged me werewolf. And if they pegged me werewolf, they thought I was involved with that explosion. Their haphazard weaving behind me gave me no concern though. I was after something more important than felony charges.

There was little hope I would find Cassie, even speeding in the direction she had taken, but I was the only lead I had and I did have some experience pursuing the airborne Harbinger. It was a busy night for everyone it seemed, considering the constant chatter on the police radio. There was also a small computer fastened to the dash, but as good as I was with new technology, I couldn't figure the commands while veering in and out of traffic, sometime over curbs. And from what little I could decipher from the radio garble, something big was going down in a kin-owned haven near Brooklyn Heights. Or _went_ down. One cop called in to the dispatcher to report that there was 'nothing left living'. Cassie had rocketed up from what I thought was the lower eastside, but she could have easily been across the water.

"Little bird, what did you do?" I whispered to myself and turned the radio up. Something happened in that warehouse. Something devastating enough that it had the Harbinger come out to play. There were Kin all over that warehouse explosion. I knew without recognizing any of them that they bodies being pulled out of the flaming rubble were that of the werewolf organization, or at least ones exactly like them. Evati, Stoneblood, Kin, Aggi, they were all the same. Hence why I didn't care who sliced and diced them in the end. And the dispatcher had clearly warned her officers that whatever was happening in Brooklyn Heights had been Kin-centric. If nothing left living was literal and not an over-exaggeration out little Castiella was out for blood, specific blood.

I twisted in my seat to get my phone to call Rafferty; the only reason for her to go on an all out killing spree was not one I wanted to think about. Was it Dante or Cal? Or, good god, both? "Pick up you bastard."

"I did and I'm busy, what do you want?" I let out a breath at his callous voice; at least someone's phone was working.

"Something's wrong with Cassie."

"Meaning what? Is she hurt? Because I have my hands full with her boyfriend at the moment."

Cal was with him…that deserved another deep breath. "She's gone ballistic as far as I can tell. Dropping down on any werewolf inhabited area and tearing them to shreds. I haven't found her, but the Vigils on the hunt too."

"Make sure you find her first. She currently thinks her son and her lover were just murdered. I'm not sure if anything will ground her. Be careful." Rafferty snapped, there was a soft curse. "Cal's dying, I have to go." The line went silent after that, but I was still relieved. If Caliban wasn't dead yet, that meant my cousin could save him, most likely. There was little my cousin _couldn't_ save someone from with the exception of humans…they were too fragile for their own good. Raff didn't say anything about Dante though…oh, shit…what if they actually…the poor baby.

My driving skills were not the drag racing par they used to be after being suck as a wolf for several years. So multi-tasking with my phone had me nearly careen into another cop car, blasted its siren up West Street. I swung wide, but turned after him. The dispatcher called for Vigil assistance near 200 West Street. I even heard the word 'Harbinger' in there. Pretty soon four sirens surrounded me, but I felt more like one of the pack than a fugitive. I went with it.

"Unknown driver, identify yourself or we will open fire." That voice was a lot clearer than the radio and it took me a second to realize it was coming from the computer, which was currently being hacked into from the look of it. No worried, fuzz, didn't bother stealing your secrets.

"Catcher Jeftichew," I called out, not sure if this thing went two-way or if I had to select something.

"_Paien_ or non?" Two-way it was.

"_Paien_, werewolf. _Not_ Kin, not involved in the incident at the pier warehouse. The Harbinger is a friend not foe. I need to get to her."

"Vigil team leader Echo-Bravo-eight-four-niner, please advise." I was still racing down the road with these guys, but no one was filling the stole car with bullets so I kept the pace. The Vigil probably had a file on me, probably knew I'd been exactly what the Kin wanted just last year, All Wolf all the time. But hopefully I got some good dog points for hating that shit and being super happy back in humanoid form. That's right _humanoid_; I liked humans...I hoped they knew that.

I could see more smoke a good distance in front of us. Some place still burning on one of the side roads between West and Greenwich, it looked like. "Echo-bravo-eight-four-niner, here. Be advised: Catcher Jeftichew is not a hostile and might be of aid. Keep him in sight of us and out of sight from the Kin."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I almost _felt_ the semi-automatics lower in the cars surrounding me, but that breath was a brief calm before all of us came to skidding halts in front of another inferno. I was near the back of the chaos. Two fire trucks here; one was from East Village even, dozens of police cars. I could see them actually arresting some people, or maybe they were just trying to get the surviving werewolves out of the way.

The fire had engulfed a small club or bar; I knew there was one owned by the Kin around here and I was guessing this was it. Flames had already eaten away at the building to either side, firefighters were minimizing the damage sufficiently and nothing seemed to be exploding in this one. No one was attempting to go inside to check for survivors either, maybe everyone was out or maybe the humans just didn't give a shit anymore.

I clamored out of the cop car, now blocked in by my temporary pack of red and blue flashing lights. Held my hands up for them and decided to let the closest armed officer lead me over to a not-so-discrete black van with its moon symbol embossed on the side for all to see. I didn't recognize EB849, but I also didn't know that many Vigil members. Personally, I didn't know any. So I was kinda assuming this was EB849.

"Hi," I greeted the man clad in black and black. He wasn't wearing sunglasses, but his scowl and posture said secret government agent all the same. And he didn't give a shit about it. He rattled off some orders to the arriving cops, but was observant enough to cuff me (literally cuff me) when I attempted to slip away and find Cassie.

"Hey, hey, wait a second!" I twisted easily out of his grip –he was just a human after all– before he could snap the second cuff on and shackle my arms behind me like a criminal. And just to show my appreciation of that courtesy I shoved him back into his own van. "I'm not a foe."

My resistance rewarded me with a gun muzzle pressed to my temple. I growled, but let EB849 up. "You even said it. I'm not a hostile. I just want to get to my friend and talk her down."

"How many fires have you seen tonight, werewolf?" I frowned at his question; three so far, but I didn't want to say it.

"There are six at the moment," he supplied. His narrowed eyes almost slits as he stared me down. He was a tall bastard, skin darker than the richest of chocolate and eyes matching. He wasn't an officer. Robin and Cal had described the organization as almost militant in hierarchy, but this guy was obviously special ops, a cleaner…an assassin. "One of them is a small house fire, one a kitchen fire at a soon to be condemned restaurant probably committing insurance fraud and four of them," he paused dramatically to lift his gun and holster it at his side. "Are due to your 'friend's' psychotic rampage."

He pointed to my left and I subconsciously followed the motion from the corner of my eyes. Another pile of bodies being stacked and tagged and organized. I counted fifteen just in my line of sight. "Her body count? Sixty-seven werewolves of varying association, five civilians –human civilians– and two of my own men. She is a threat, a very hostile threat, and she will be put down tonight."

"You can't," I countered, even if listening to him already had me want to flee. She was killing humans? Cassie didn't seem the type even if they were in her way, which meant she had completely lost it. "I need to see her. I can talk her down. She thinks they murdered her lover and her son, please, who would think straight after that?"

"Son?"

"I can talk her down," I repeated avoiding the raised-brow look EB was giving me. Apparently, news didn't travel quickly to the outskirts of Vigil Co. Made me wonder who knew about Dante and who didn't and what would have been done about that…if he was still alive. Oh, damn, did I hope he was still alive. And I hoped to hell I could actually talk Castiella down from her mental breakdown.

"It isn't up for discussion. You find her first you're welcome to try. We'll return your body to your cousin for you." He patted my shoulder and unclasped the one cuff around my wrist. It was probably the sweetest gesture a Vigil member would offer and I somehow knew he would do just that. If something happened to me he was being courteous enough to assure me my body would go back to Rafferty and not their underground labs. At least, I hoped he wasn't just shooting of his mouth.

"Thanks."

"Don't get in our way."

"I have every intention too," I countered with a playful grin. I certainly didn't feel it right now. Not with knowing my friend had taken a great leap of the deep end, another one was in surgery fighting for his life and their son…could be dead before two. I'd seen Caliban on the brink of Auphe before; I didn't want to witness what a seasoned _paien_ could do with that kind of anger and power finally unleashed. The large man didn't stop me as I weaved around the stacked up cars and cops. The wind was teasing my nose with her faint scent. I jogged up West Street to the next side street, took a whiff then did the same at the next one. Her scent was stronger down that street so I turned, paused and glanced behind me. And there she was.

When I saw her there was no questioning her sanity any longer. I was frozen for several seconds, part of me wanted to duck behind the edge of the building and wait for the monster to sidle passed and part of me wanted to tackle her to the ground and call to her until she woke from her internal nightmare. The second option would have been the death of me. I knew that without doubt. Her image was that of an angel seeking absolute vengeance, both beautiful and terrifying.

She stood on a railing with the Jersey skyline as her back drop. The lights silhouetted her like the cover of a fantasy novel. Her wings were lifted high on her back; they used to be white with kisses of charcoal, but now they were a definitive blood red…soaked in it. Her hair was the same; matted, sooty, and catching the wind coming off the Hudson. Her eyes glowed blood red even from a distance. All that was missing was the crack of thunder and flash of lighting for me to feel that God just dropped the angel of destruction at our feet.

There was a series of growls, echoing from all direction as the sound bounced off the high rises on this side of the river. I pressed myself to the building as several werewolves bumped by me, many of them were singed or burned from the fires Cassie was obviously causing in their establishments. Some of them even had the remains of broken handcuffs on their paws. No human cop was going to stop them from getting their revenge.

A few of them eyed me, but I waited until I saw one that looked mostly humanoid save for a severe overbite and yellow wolf eyes. It wasn't that I couldn't communicate with those on four legs or close enough to such, it was just quicker to speak in my current tongue. I caught the wolf by the crook of his elbow, of which he didn't appreciate especially when I followed the obstruction with, "You don't want to fight her. Walk away."

"Kin don't _walk_ _away_," he snarled at me. He knew I wasn't Kin, knew in a heartbeat, and usually that in and of itself would start a fight since I was on their territory. Their focus was on a bigger much more dangerous fish.

"She is half Auphe and she's lost her mind. Stand down—"

The wolf shoved me up against the building, narrowing his eyes so his bushy eyebrows almost curved around to the tear duct. "That creature has burned four of our businesses to the ground and killed dozens—"

"I'm guessing it's more like hundreds at this point," I interrupted. I shot a glance across the street to the waterfront. Cassie's gaze wasn't even on the wolves as they approached. She was facing the water, wings stretched to their full span, blood dripping from the pinion feathers. "It will be hundreds more if you don't leave her be and let me talk to her."

He backhanded me like a pup in their lowest order and I growled, but let it go. If he wanted to die that badly I had no qualms in standing back and letting it happen. I hated the Kin and everything they stood for, brethren in race or no. I stayed against the building; just at the edge so could see her. I would have called out, but I was pretty sure it would be useless. It wasn't willing to try when twenty bastards that probably smelled similar to me were circling her.

When the first wolf stepped within leaping distance of her, he did just that. All it took was a swift pivot and a slashing of those horrifying black claws and the creature was disemboweled on the concrete. With blood in the air, the others launched. Usually I would be fearful. That was a lot of enemies for her to fight at once and wolves were notorious for hunting cooperatively and efficiently. But when an Auphe was cornered and pissed off… I doubted an army could stop her now.

She hurdled into the air from the railing, before the next werewolf could collide. It caught my breath as she rose. Her wings were so ridged they looked to be tearing through the fabric of space themselves. Two gates trailed after her, not the vaguely irregular decagon or the human shaped ones that wrapped around them –the ones that I'd see Cal produce. These trailed after her like a glowstick's afterglow in an overexposed photo. A severe gray and electric white crackling in a pattern like jeans being ripped apart. The fiber of reality as I knew it was torn. It followed her every movement from the air to the ground and every single twist and turn. The werewolves had no chance, as they tried to avoid the…well, voids, that would sever their limbs off, and a few times their bodies in half, if knocked into them.

I saw them start ripping farther when they began looking like a roller coaster around her, complete with loops and dips that were starting to bleed into each other. My heart started picking up speed when I saw two of them touch and snap open at least five inches more than their width combined. Soon they would all form together, it would be a barrier around her…a huge uncontrolled rippling dome that would either explode or implode and take her away from here. And I didn't think she was in the right mind to notice this.

"Cassie!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I could only imagine the light show this was displaying to the high rises around us. The Vigil had their cleanup work cut out for them…if Manhattan even survived this. "Cassie, stop!" Deaf ears, but I knew it would be like that. I had to try. Jumping into the fray didn't seem like a viable option before, but now it was more than just a few asshole wolves on the line.

I edged forward as she finished off three more werewolves with little more than a skin-shaving bite mark on her forearm. The fight was becoming more and more obscured as the gates pieced together. If I waited too long I wouldn't even be able to get in there. "Cassie!" The final wolf, or at least the last one willing to fight (many of them had slunk back in fear of the monster they were beholding), caught her claws across his face and went stumbling back in to a very large portion of gate. The majority of him disappeared, leaving a thigh and a bit of flesh connecting his tail, the rest was history. Could have been worse though; he could technically survive with one leg gone, as long as she didn't open the gates into Tumulus. The other werewolves skirted around the area, onto trash cans, prowling around behind think-trunked trees. All of them were growling nervously, wanting to avenge the deaths of many, too frightened to engage, but too stubborn to turn tail.

Another ribbon of gate crackled into another. Damn, it was like watching storm cells collide, no, more like watching a match touching a photograph, peeling away reality with every angle the flame rushed. "Cassie!" I tried again, now that the immediate threat was gone, I'd hoped she would reel in the gates, but she wasn't. She wasn't even moving. She stood in the center horrifying red eyes now trained on me. I could barely even see her face with the gate as thick as it was now. I pushed off the building and started toward her, but something caught my eye from the parking garage behind me. A red beam of light. A sniper laser. My heart stopped in my chest when a little red dot appeared right over Cassie's heart.

She was still staring at me. "Cassie, GO!"

Then, boom, everything fell apart.


	23. Epilogue Cal

**Epilogue**

**Cal**

My oracle had told me I would be happy. I had smiled rueful and said I had been, briefly. And I _had_ been. She said I would be with the mother of my child. She said she'd looked farther into the future than the moment I was standing with her. The moment that I had thought the mother of my child was dead. George had been right. I was happy again, briefly. I had been happy with the mother of my child curled up in bed with me, our son playing with her long waves of hair and teething on the leather edge of my gun holster. I had been happy.

And life saw that and it said to itself: Well, that is simply unacceptable.

So my son was murdered by a fleabag with tail-rot, burned to embers in a fire that rocked Manhattan all the way from the Financial District to Battery Park. So the mother of my child kissed me goodbye and went to avenge his death. She murdered every living relative of that fleabag and then some. From what I've heard it was danse macabre in fur and fire. She was unstoppable…until she was shot down. A bullet to the heart by a human sniper. The most feared creature of earth taken out by a single rifle and a high vantage point.

And life said: There, that's better. Fuck you, life.

If I knew where to find them, I would have sought out a Nepenthe spider. I would bare my neck to them and hope to…whatever that it would erase every memory I had of them. Of what I had. Of what had made my oracle say I would be happy. I was done. I didn't want it anymore. I didn't want the memory of her smile or her scent. I didn't want the memory of his weight in my arms, his nose to my neck. And I didn't want the memory of Catcher leaned over my cot and tearfully apologizing for failing me. For letting them kill her. I hated him for several hours. Until Robin showed me the video of the fight on his cell. When I asked him to play it again it had already been stripped from the internet, probably by the very men who put her down. That was another memory I could do without. Seeing her violence, her perfectly calm rage. Seeing her so lost…Niko wouldn't even look at it; I must have looked frighteningly similar dropping from the gate into his arms all those years ago.

Catcher couldn't fight that, for that matter he was nearly severed in two when the gates lashed out without control as she fell. The sheer will of the human world closed them, pulling the tears back together desperately and leaving the street still. No one could fight that…no one but a bullet could…or maybe me.

I cried. Admitting it meant nothing. I cried in the darkness of the surgery. No one dared move me, as close to death as I'd been myself. So I was imprisoned in a room that gave me nightmares with more to come. The werewolves of the house had to hear me, but my only true witness was the presence always at my side. My brother. My keeper. He rested his hand to my crown as I buried my face in my pillow and shook the cot with silent sobs of both fury and remorse. I couldn't be sure, but I think I heard his heart breaking.

Two weeks and they moved me back to our apartment. The Kin would be avoiding us for a while, we all assumed. Four more weeks and I was back on my feet making the usual messes around the house. Niko watched me. Subtle, but keen. Waited for me to break down. I refused. Killing every werewolf in the city would only make me feel better in the moment and rushing into the fray was obviously not a good idea. So my revenge would be like my brother, subtle and deadly. I would hate the Kin until the day I died and hopefully they would be but a legend by then. And the Vigil…

I couldn't hate the Vigil for killing the mother of my child. She was a threat to humanity at that point, their panic was warranted, but they were assholes for not even considering other routes. Tranquillize her, lock her up, until I could reach her. It would have been just as simple as a bullet to her heart…they pinned Catcher to the ground and took her body away from him, no, away from me. They gave me the ashes in a black urn as if it made the wound heal. I gave it to Goodfellow. No, I loathed the Vigil for more than their humanistic panic of being the middle rung on the food chain. I loathed them for their hypocrisy, for being the catalyst to all of this. And they would pay as well. Somehow, I would find a way. Opening a gate to Tumulus in the bowels of every single one of their facilities was as inventive as I could get currently and that just had horrible repercussions to deal with.

"Am I not off suicide watch yet, because I'm beginning to feel like you're one of those paintings that follows you with its eyes no matter where you are in the room." Niko's gaze focused directly on me then, as I wrapped another paper towel around my micro-waved burrito.

"You were never on suicide watch, you aren't that stupid," Niko replied dryly and tried to pretend to go back to reading his book. It had been the same tome-looking novel for the last week; there was no way it would take him that long if he was actually reading it. And I knew he wasn't monitoring me because he was afraid I'd off myself –he was right, I wasn't that stupid. That thought had only crossed my mind once and it was when I was threatened to become a breeding stud for Auphe females. Definitely thought about eating a bullet then, but losing…this fight was something that occurred in life. Life's endgame was death. No escape. You could whine all you wanted, but it didn't change its mind when it came.

I wondered how I'd avoided it when they didn't. Why I'd had five near-deaths and my son only got one. But…you know…thinking rarely helped anything when it came to me.

Niko wasn't worried about melodrama, he was fretting over a psychotic, homicidal break. That had been pretty close to being realized for a few days. Lucky those days were when I could barely move as half my internal organs knitted back in place. Now I wanted torture. Slow, unexpected torture. The Kin deserved no less. The Vigil deserved no more. I didn't tell Niko that. I just bit into my burrito and gave him a wave.

His feet dropped to the ground and he crossed the studio in what seemed like three steps. "Where are you going?"

"Work," I answered simply. I looked at my watch; I was already going to be ten minutes late.

"Work," Niko repeated.

I lifted my eyebrows at the echo. "You have a problem with that? Me attempting to earn my keep? I'll be at the Ninth. You can come, but you need to order something other than water."

"Cal, are you sure you're up for it?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm up for anything."

"They'll be a lot of _paien_ there."

I snorted and grabbed for my new leather jacket. It desperately needed to be broken in. "I'd assume so, it is a _paien_ bar after all." He continued to stare. I continued to collect my wallet and the .38 that I latched onto my ankle holster. There had been so much unsaid between us, but it never needed to be said before and I didn't want to say it now. Loved ones died. It happens. Neither of us could change that. "Nik, I'll be alright." I would be alright. Right now, I hated life and it kicks, but I _would_ be alright. I tried to give him a surly smile; it probably just looked half-maniacal. "Besides, the world's better off with just one half Auphe, right?"

"Depends on the half Auphe," he muttered.

It made a lump form in my throat, but I swallowed it back before I felt anything more. I turned from him and headed for the door. If he wanted to come to the Ninth Circle there was nothing I could do to stop him, but I wasn't waiting around. "Well, there's just one now. Get used to it."

That's right. Get used to it, Cal.


End file.
